How To Be Human
by Cryingravens13
Summary: Growing up in the Shinra Labs left little room to learn what it was like to be a human. Sephiroth might be the greatest swordsman, but what do Angeal and Genesis find out he can't do? Rated M for Language,Guy on Guy lovings and other goodies. Please R&R!
1. The First Meeting

_**Authors notes: I do not own the FF7 characters. None of them. If I did I would make them film all sorts of lovely videos just for my amusement. :) **_

_**This story will contain some guy on guy loving. I will note it before chapters and thus you can skip it. Do not get angry if you read it without reading the authors notes. There may also be some hetero love as well. If you do not like that then DO NOT READ the chapter when I post the warning in the author's notes. **_

_**This is pre-Crisis Core by quite a bit, putting Sephiroth at 16 and Angeal and Genesis at 18. The story is based on the fact that Sephiroth was raised in the labs and thus does not really know a whole bunch about living life. I hope you all enjoy. Updates will be sporadic, but I have three chapters done. Please R&R! **_

The first time Genesis met Sephiroth he knew they would be friends. Their first meeting was one that happened merely by chance. Angeal and Genesis had been kept back by the commanding officer, explaining that due to a scheduling conflict they would need to eat with the First class Soldiers so that they could at the very least get a lunch before their late afternoon practice missions.

This was the most exciting news they had heard all day. Eating with the First classes was sure to be amazing and exciting. Maybe they would even get to see First Class General Sephiroth. They had heard of his inter Soldier records and learned that his sword skills were legendary, even before he became the scourge of Wutai, and couldn't wait for a chance to finally see the great General.

They buzzed through their rounds quickly and excitedly made their way to lunch. After they collected their plates they practically ran into the mess hall and looked around. Most seats were taken and there was no group surrounding anyone that looked like they could be a great and powerful swordsman. Genesis frowned and they motioned to a fairly empty table.

Angeal however had other plans. There was a young man a little younger than themselves sitting alone at a table eating his lunch.

"Let's sit with him. He looks like he might be a third class that is stranded in a First Class lunch block. Let's go keep him company." Angeal said walking towards the young man.

"Geal he is weird looking let's just go sit over here."

Angeal fixed Genesis with a withering look, "My mother certainly taught me better than to judge a book by it's cover. It must be lonely sitting alone and I know that neither of us would want to be left alone in a lunch room filled with a bunch of First class Soldiers that could eat us alive."

Genesis pouted but followed the raven haired man towards the younger looking man with odd silver hair. Angeal stood in front of the table and cleared his throat, looking at the younger man who slowly looked up from his salad.

"Hello! My name is Angeal, do you mind if we eat with you?"

Genesis' jaw dropped as the silver haired teen lifted his head. It wasn't simply the fact that the younger man was attractive. It was the teen's calculating aquamarine eyes. It was as if the gaze held all the wisdom of the ages and could look through you straight to your soul. The teen stared at them both for a moment before slowly nodding and returning his gaze to his plate.

Angeal was reconsidering allowing the teen to eat on his own and tried to get Genesis' attention. The red head, however, did not get that message because instead of looking at his raven haired friend Genesis was already arranging himself on the bench across from the overly quiet youth.

"Sorry if we intruded, we just didn't know where else we could sit. Have you ever eaten in this lunch slot before?" Genesis asked smiling at the younger man, hoping he could get those gorgeous eyes to look up again.

The silver haired young man froze the moment Genesis started talking and slowly looked up at the pair. After a moment he nodded again then remained looking at Genesis to see if he would speak again.

"So do you know all of the First class Soldiers? Have you spoken to any of them?" Genesis asked in an attempt to keep the teen looking at them.

The younger man sighed slightly as if he might be bored and sat up slightly from his mildly hunched eating position. It was then that Genesis noted that for being young looking he was remarkably tall and thin. Not sickly thin as he had seen with Soldiers that signed up from the slums, but in a way that suggested he worked all weight off. The shoulder blade length hair shifted with his movement.

"I do know all of the First Class Soldiers and I have spoken to all of them." Said the younger man in a surprisingly soft yet deep voice.

Angeal gave a wide grin and nudged Genesis, "If you have spoken to all of the First Class Generals then you must have spoken to Sephiroth."

The strange boy quirked an eyebrow and looked to the other First Class Soldiers. With a small smile, he leaned back down to his plate, "I guess you could say that."

"Really? What is he like?" Angeal asked unfazed by Genesis' annoyed gaze.

"I am not very good at explaining personalities." The youth was still smiling, but did not look up from his lunch.

"Is he tall? Is his sword really as long as he is tall?"

"Yes. Masamune is rather long."

A bell rang in the distance and the youth stood. Angeal looked confusedly at the boy, "That is the bell for the Firsts to get ready for training, you don't have to get ready."

The silver haired boy looked at Angeal, "That is why I am standing. I am a First Class."

Angeal paled, "Oh, I am sorry to intrude, Sir. I just I thought-"

"I am aware of what you thought. It's alright, a common misconception among my fellow Soldier."

The First Class picked up his tray and turned to leave, but Genesis finally spoke, "You never told us your name."

"It's Sephiroth. Have a nice lunch."


	2. Providing Success

_**A.N: Mild language this chapter. I do not own any of the FF7 characters. Why would I want to own Heidegger? That's gross. Just a bit of set up before we get into the meat of the story. Enjoy! Please R&R!**_

Heidegger frowned at the Soldier that stood in front of him. "What do you mean your entire team but you and your General died because they refused to follow his lead?"

The soldier shifted nervously on the spot and evaded Heidegger's penetrating gaze, "Sir ,the other Soldiers refused to take orders from General Sephiroth because he is so young. They said that they didn't make it to be at a mission that is career worthy by following a snot nosed brat around a battlefield then wandered blindly into the mine field."

"And did the General try to stop them?"

"Within reason, sir. He followed all protocol and even attempted to stop them with materia. They retaliated and so he left them to fall victim to the traps that were set by the enemy."

The rotund, bearded man sighed a heavy sigh and dismissed the cadet, briefly thanking him for following his orders and doing his job.

"_They really need to hire a new head of Soldier for this shit."_

He looked over the three missions Sephiroth had headed as General thus far. All of them were marginally successful, solely because Sephiroth went ahead and finished the mission after his team was killed off. Heidegger simply didn't have the man power to allow Sephiroth to kill off ten of more men at a time. Or rather allow the men to kill themselves.

It wasn't that Sephiroth couldn't lead a team, he was obviously capable. It was simply the matter of his age. No one wanted to listen to someone half their age. He was the youngest General ever. Only sixteen and barely age requirements for infantry level positioning, let alone to be a general. Heidegger was not surprised that the teams were refusing to listen to him. He doubted he could find anyone that would.

Heidegger stood and poured himself a glass of scotch. Maybe the boy simply needed a team guaranteed to listen. Perchance a team roughly his own age and those that had proven they would follow him would be best. He had jumped from lab rat to first class in a matter of months, maybe he should be placed with others of his own age that would respect his skill and not his age.

Heidegger returned to his desk and dug through cadet files. He needed to know who were the two youngest in second class he had. Maybe those that also showed promise would follow him without caring what age he was.

Cadet A. Hewley age 18

Cadet G. Rhapsodos age 18

The youngest were a mere two years his elder and they were, as far as Soldier was concerned, accomplished swordsmen. Maybe placing them in a specialized team with the young man was best. That, however, made living situations awkward.

Previously Sephiroth had private lodgings because everyone on his team was over 3 years older than him. With the living requirements being that anyone under 36 months could room together, if the youngest person was under the age of 18. One of Shinra's few rules protecting their younger recruits from the odd child molesters had always provided Sephiroth with private lodgings, now made it so he would have two roommates.

A brief check of other recruits showed that Cadets Hewley and Rhapsodos were the only second classes that fit that requirements. Heidegger smiled slightly, it would be a challenge for the young man. He was marvelous at anything required for Soldier and he could be eloquent enough with words to appease even the most strict dinner party, but casual encounters were awkward to say the least.

'_It will work. It has to.'_

Heidegger arranged for three person lodging accommodations as would be fit for a first class Soldier, allowing the General to at the very least have a nice room for himself. He then put in a call to the three Soldiers.

'_I am creating the best possible outcome for Shinra's prodigy. If nothing else comes of this, I am assisting in giving Sephiroth the best team I can. Success for Project S must come at all costs.'_

_At all costs._

__**I hope you all liked it! Kinda borin_g, I know, but more fun stuff happening in the next few chapters. please R&R!_**_  
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	3. Waiting up

Sephiroth was on mission when Genesis and Angeal were moving into the dorm room that was provided. Being the youngest in Soldier had it's advantages. The two had always been roomed together and now they were rooming with the greatest general that Shinra had ever seen. The life had it's perks.

Angeal had cleaned his room until it was immaculate. Everything was labelled and in it's rightful place. Genesis on the other hand had tossed his boxes of stuff on the floor and was lounging on the bed reading "Loveless."

"Sephiroth will be here in a while, don't you want to be ready and prove that we are worthy of being on his team?"

Genesis shrugged and kept reading his book, "He will see that in our skills, not in how clean our rooms are."

Angeal frowned and began exploring the common area of the dorm. He was surprised that they had been given First Class lodgings. He assumed that they did not want to insult Sephiroth by settling them in the Second class barracks.

The common area had a living room area with a television and an attached kitchen area. It was rather nice. There was a communal fridge that already had some basics in it. Angeal sat down on the couch and tipped his head back. They had been given the day off to move and settle themselves within their new quarters. However, he was already done and was rather bored.

"Hey Gen, what do you think it's going to be like living with Sephiroth?"

Genesis stepped out of his room and leaned in the doorway, "I don't know, but I hope he teaches us some of his swordsman skills."

Genesis had been thinking about living with the exotic man all day. Sephiroth was intriguing in a way he had never known before. The way he moved even the slightest bit. It was so fluid he almost seemed to be more related to a feline than to a human. Any support he needed to make such a claim was there simply by looking at the man's eyes.

Those eyes never left Heidegger's eyes when they were told they were all to be roommates. Genesis watched the fat man squirm under that piercing aquamarine gaze. It was most excellent.

The red head stepped into the common area and gracefully seated himself in an arm chair, throwing his legs over the arm and crossing his feet at the ankles.

"That would be nice. Learning new skills would be useful." Angeal said thoughtfully, looking at his best friend.

Angeal was concerned that Sephiroth would be angry that he had to room with two Second classes. During the meeting he looked far less than impressed as Heidegger explained the new arrangements. He was cordial enough, but he was clearly unimpressed.

"When do you think he will be back from his mission?" Genesis asked.

"No idea."

"So do we wait up?"

Angeal shrugged, "I wouldn't think so."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Genesis resumed reading his book. Neither said it, but both already knew; they were going to end up waiting up for Sephiroth.

It was a little after one in the morning when they heard the keycard give an affirmation noise and the door opened. Angeal was immediately awake, only allowing himself a half guarded sleep. Quietly he opened his bedroom door and caught his first glimpse of the great General.

Kneeling in the dark by the doorway, Sephiroth was unbuckling his boots and at his side, lying on the ground like some great snake, was Masamune. Angeal squinted slightly in the dark and noticed the blood that clung to Sephiroth's face and chest only a moment before his nose caught wind of the harsh copper smell.

Angeal gasped softly as the silver haired general peeled himself out of his coat and made an unimpressed noise in the back of his throat. The straps on the armor were the next noise and then it was hung on the same hook as the coat.

Both articles of clothing were carefully slid into a long plastic bag and then the laundry slot was opened and down the clothes were dropped. The dark haired man had always wondered how the Sephiroth managed to get blood out of his leather coat such. Angeal heard a slight sigh then the kitchen area's dimmer switch was turned on to the lowest setting.

"You shouldn't spy. It is bad form."

Angeal nearly jumped out of his skin at the deep voice. Aquamarine eyes caught his in the dim light. Eerily the General reached down, picked up his sword then, walked to the kitchen counter, never once breaking his gaze from Angeal's. It was like a gazelle being stalked by a great beast. It also did not help that the silver haired man had blood dripping down his face, hair, and body. If he had been any other breed of animal, Angeal would have drawn his sword by now.

"I am sorry. I just was making sure you made it in alright."

The silver haired man looked away, allowing Angeal to release a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"All is well. You may return to your both of you."

Angeal looked over and saw Genesis peeking from his room through a crack in the doorway.

"Sorry to intrude." Genesis said, but to be honest, he wasn't at all. The man was built like a God. Chiseled chest, lithe frame, and then those eyes. He was very happy he was able to get a good look at the man without his coat.

Sephiroth looked away from the two and set his sword beside him, just out of eyesight. Angeal moved to duck back into his room, but saw Genesis exit his room instead.

"Where do you keep your sword when it's not in battle? There aren't any racks on the walls or cleaning stations."

The silver haired man seemed to startle for a moment before he brought his gaze level with Genesis.

"I keep it in my quarters. I also clean it there."

"Do you have a stand or do you simply set it on the floor beside your bed?"

The General looked incredulously at Genesis for a moment.

"I have a rack that is beside my bed within arms reach. I am sorry, which were you again? Genesis, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, and that's Angeal." Genesis said motioning with his hand at Angeal who had also joined the two in the common area.

"Genesis then. Now I do not mean to be rude, but I have had rather a busy day and I need to get some sleep before I must work in the morn-"

"Are your eyes naturally that blue?" Genesis asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table and staring intently at Sephiroth; utterly ignoring the sentence the General had started.

"Yes." The silver haired man said uncertainly, looking at Angeal. It was an uncertain look, as though he hadn't been trained to deal with questions about how he did things and his personal appearance from a complete stranger.

"Do either of your parents have eyes like yours?"

Sephiroth looked back at the red haired cadet. "I do not really-"

"Do you have a last name? I know they call us Cadets Hewley and Rhapsodos, but it seems you always go by your first name."

Sephiroth blinked for a moment as though it had never dawned on him, but did not answer. He was clearly confused by the rapid fire questions. Angeal decided to take mercy on the man and set a hand on Genesis' shoulder.

"Gen, we should get to bed. He is our roommate. Maybe you can ask him your questions another time?"

Genesis looked up at Angeal and gave a grin. "Of course! Wonderful thinking, Angeal." He turned to Sephiroth and nodded, "Have a nice evening, General."

Angeal waited until Genesis had walked away, before smiling apologetically at a very confused Sephiroth.

"Sorry. He is a bit excited to be rooming with one of your caliber. Rest well."

Sephiroth nodded, quickly hiding the look of confusion in his eyes. "Of course. Rest well yourself."

Angeal turned on his heel and walked to his room, smiling inwardly. For a great general, he certainly had a bit to learn about living with an outgoing person like Genesis. It didn't shock Angeal in the least though. He somehow doubted anyone had given Sephiroth a hard time about anything.

That was about to change.

**~Hope you all enjoyed it! Stay tuned for chapter four! Thank you all for reading and thanks to XxOngakuxX for taking the time to review! I am fueled by reviews so please feel free! Thanks! ~CR13**


	4. Wrong Answer

Sephiroth was an amazing General. He could lead an army into battle, win with minimal casualties, and do it all while battling and somehow managing to not let a single hair on his head move out of place. However, when confronted with things he was unfamiliar with, he would be at an utter loss. On the battlefield his cadets, now roommates were perfect. They ran drills better than any other cadet he had ever dealt with and followed orders to the line. Despite their obvious ability in a professional setting, his new roommates flustered him unto no end.

While he could tell if someone was lying and knew how to interrogate even the strongest of Soldiers, he could never seem to tell when his forced companions were joking with him. Sometimes he didn't even know what they were joking about.

Genesis always started the apparent joking. Usually it was when Sephiroth was taking some time to clean Masamune. The red head would seemingly come out of nowhere and sit himself silently in the arm chair, just out of Sephiroth's eye line.

"_So are you over compensating for something or do you just have a thing for "big swords"?"_

This is how Genesis would start the conversation. Sephiroth never knew how to respond to that question. He was left handed, so was Genesis talking about that being something he compensated for? He knew plenty of left handed Soldiers that fought just as well as right handed Soldiers. He also enjoyed his sword, so if he had to render a guess he would most likely enjoy other long swords, so he could assume he had a thing for big swords.

In return to Genesis' question all he could do was stare back at him for a moment then ignore the question completely and resume polishing the Masamune's blade.

"_Do __you__ polish__ your__ sword __often?__" _Genesis would ask, settling back a joking glint still in his eyes.

This always through Sephiroth off. He could tell the man was joking, but he could never figure out about what. _"__Of__ course.__ A__ soldier__ should __always __keep __his __sword __clean.__" _

Genesis smiled, but fought to keep a neutral face._ "__Does__ it __take __you __long __to __polish __your __sword?__"_

"_It takes quite a while. It is rather long."_

"_That's what she said."_

Sephiroth hated the woman. He didn't know who she was or how she knew anything about him, but she knew too much and apparently told Genesis everything. Many times Genesis would ask him if he was over compensating or mutter "That's what she said" after Sephiroth would say something innocuous. The great General never understood what the man meant or how the redhead's mind worked.

He hadn't even been with them a week and already he was starting to dislike Genesis and his woman friend. If the joking wasn't bad enough he seemingly random onslaught of questions that cadet would start was enough to drive a man mad. Sometimes the questions would be rapid fire, giving the general only the briefest of time to answer before changing to a new one. It was mind boggling to the silver haired man. More distressing than the questions was that Genesis only stopped the tirade of questions when Angeal felt merciful and halted the red headed terror.

It was also apparent to the General that he didn't know the proper response to the questions. Sephiroth could never seem to answer the questions right.

"_So, oh great General, if people cross you on a bad day do you just run them through with your sword or do you slowly torture them?" _

When Genesis asked he was smiling at his Commanding officer, Sephiroth did not return the question with a smile.

"_Neither, I usually give them directions that could be interpreted a variety of ways then let them fall to their own political or physical demise."_

Sephiroth just couldn't win with the cadet. No answer he gave Genesis could satisfy the man's curiosity about him and that frustrated the General. Sometimes the cadet asked him about things he had never thought about before.

"_Why__ do __you __like __wearing __leather __all __the __time?__" _or _"__What __is __your __favorite __vacation__ spot?__"_

He had no idea why he wore leather besides the extra protection and he had never been on vacation so he couldn't honestly say where his favorite spot was. However, no question had made him more uncomfortable than one Genesis asked him late one night after the red head had drunk far to much alcohol. He hadn't gone with them to the bar, but when they returned and Sephiroth was still going over mission reports and fell into the metaphorical line of fire.

"_So are you into men or women?"_

He had been so confused. He didn't know what the man was asking.

"_Into?"_

"_Yeah, which do you like?" _

He still didn't know what the man wanted in response.

"_I am not aware what you are asking. Both sexes have pros and cons, but as I am a male I can say I do think being male is better."_

"_No... Shiva's icy tits...What is your sexual preference? Would you rather have sexual intercourse with a man or a woman?" Genesis said, obviously believing that the General was an utter idiot._

"_I don't know I haven't ever thought about it." _

That was apparently the wrong answer and Genesis threw himself at Angeal giggling like an idiot. The dark haired cadet was a God send. Sephiroth was never more thankful for him then that night when he apologized to the General then led the redhead off to bed.

Angeal was a kind man that often understood that Sephiroth didn't have the right answers. Sometimes he would offer a clarification to one of Genesis' inane questions or get the red head to drop it all together. Of course Angeal asked his own fair share of questions, but he was asking about war tactics or about how Sephiroth managed to win a difficult fight. Those were acceptable. Sephiroth enjoyed knowing the answers to questions.

He also liked how Angeal would joke with him. It was subtle and he always understood what the raven haired man was getting at.

"_Standing __on __tip__toes __with __Masamune __fully __extended, __I __bet __you __could __knock __the__ president__'__s __hat __off __the__ roof __of __Shinra __Headquarters.__" _Angeal once said.

Sephiroth smiled at that one. He was tall, his sword was long, it was a good could tolerate the dark haired man. Sometimes once Genesis would walk off cackling from a "funny joke" Angeal would explain what the red head meant and with his help Sephiroth was slowly learning the redhead's lingo.

"_You know he is making sexual innuendos right? When he says, "polishing your sword" he is insinuating the acts of a lonely man."_

Sephiroth was slowly learning which of Genesis' jokes he should ignore and which he should chastise the cadet for. Slowly he was learning that more people took advantage of the fact he didn't understand some of the more subtle dark humor. Slowly he would learn how to respond to them correctly.

Soon he wouldn't answer wrong anymore.

AN~ Thank you all for reading! Maybe a Halloween chapter next? Anyone want to hear about Sephiroth's first Halloween? Thanks to KakashiXIrukaLover and XxOngakuxX for the awesome reviews! Please always feel free to write any review and if anyone has ideas please throw them out to me and if I like it, maybe it will be a chapter! Thank you again for reading! ~CR


	5. Halloween part 1

Sephiroth watched the two cadets who were happily bobbing about the apartment. They had three pumpkins, a few fake ghosts on strings, and what looked like a gob of fake spider webs. It was a Saturday and Angeal had persuaded him to stay in the apartment instead of training. It was against his better judgement but the things they had planned intrigued him.

"So what do you do on this Halloween?" He asked, carefully poking at a bowl of brightly wrapped candy.

Angeal turned to him with a grin, "What do you mean? Haven't you ever celebrated Halloween before?"

The General shook his head and watched as Genesis hung several fake webs from the entry way.

"You have never celebrated Halloween ever before?" Angeal asked incredulously.

"I believe I just answered that question." Sephiroth stated as he allowed his gaze to flick from the fake webs to Angeal.

"You've never dressed up? You've never been trick or treating? Have you ever bobbed for apples? Come on you must have had some Halloween wrapped candy."

"I get dressed up every day, I don't know what a trick or treating is, bobbing for apples sounds awkward, and I do not eat candy." Sephiroth said in a matter of fact manner. "Please hang that web higher, I am taller than you both and I will manage to walk into it every time I come in after training."

"That's not very stealthy for Shinra's greatest General." Genesis acknowledged.

"I am not used to having to duck for a false web. I am human and I do forget things if they are placed in locations they aren't normally."

Genesis smiled to himself, but moved the web up a bit farther. "So do you want the whole Halloween experience?"

"I don't know. What is the whole experience?"

"Well, it starts with a bunch of scary movies, then a haunted house, then we can go to a costume party, then we return home and binge on candy."

Sephiroth thought for a moment, "Movies do not frighten me, there is no such thing as a haunted house, I do not like parties and I do not eat candy."

Angeal smiled at the silver haired man. "Have you ever been to a costume party?"

"Yes. Several. The President enjoys asking me to be security."

"What did you dress as?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed slightly. "I will not be dressing the same manner so it does not matter. I refuse to do costumed parties anymore."

Angeal's brow furrowed. "Sephiroth we will let you choose your own outfit. You won't be forced to wear anything you don't want to. I think that you will like some of the movies we have picked out."

"Undead Zombie Hoard Reawakening number six is the best." Genesis said with a nod.

"Not nearly as good as The Zolom's Whisper."

"What? That one can't even compare! The graphics are terrible."

"Ah, but the plot is the best." Angeal said with a nod.

Genesis rolled his eyes, "Well, luckily we have another set of eyes. What do you say Seph, want to help us settle this dispute?"

The general's eyes narrowed at the new nickname, but he nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but isn't Halloween tomorrow?"

"I figured we could get you into the spirit tonight."

_WMWMWMW  
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_"Professor, there are people at the door."_

_Hojo pulled himself away from his project with a sigh. Frowning he walked to the front door. he opened it and shooed three children in costumes away then older man muttered to himself and returned to his work bench._

_"What did they want?" The silver haired boy asked._

_Hojo peered at Sephiroth over his glasses. He had almost forgotten that the youth was his charge for this weekend. Except for the repeated distractions as of late._

_"They were going door to door asking for candy."_

_"Why would they do such a thing?" Sephiroth asked, sitting on the floor at the man's feet._

_"It is Halloween and as tradition dictates they get dressed up in costumes and wander the streets like beggars. It is a terrible tradition and one that you should have no need to indulge in."_

_Feeling as though he had given sufficient information to the seven year old, Hojo returned to his work and continued to ignore the youth._

_Sephiroth stood after a moment and walked to the window and peered out at the children that wandered the streets in bright and colorful costumes. His cat like eyes watching them all in strange fascination._

_"What is candy?" The boy asked from the window a few moments later._

_Hojo froze mid motion, halting all thought, and pulling himself back into the world of the mundane. Determined not to lock the boy in his room, the scientist turned in his chair and neatly folded his fingers._

_"What was the question?"_

_"What is candy?" Sephiroth repeated, turning from the window to properly face his caretaker._

_"Candy is a sweet substance usually is it make of sugar and comes in a variety of types, sizes, and flavors. It rots teeth and makes people fat."_

_"Why do the children dress up to receive the candy?"_

_"That is what tradition dictates."_

_Sephiroth walked to the professor and sat at the man's feet._

_"Why?"_

_"Sephiroth, you really must have something better to do than ask me repeated questions on the same subject. Why don't you work on the paperwork Professor Crowley gave you? I have valuable work to be done." Hojo turned away signaling the end of the conversation._

_The youth nodded silently and returned to his room. All night he watched out the window to see the children in their costumes. One by one the numbers dwindled until there were no children left._

_The silver haired boy sat down in his nearly empty room and stared at the completed paperwork. He was sad that the other children had left his view from the window. Somewhere deep inside the boy he ached to be like the others. Maybe one day he would be allowed to collect candy too._

AN~ Sad face right? This is part one of the Halloween section of this fic. I hope to do one or two more. Maybe with some more past bits... Huge thanks to XxOngakuxX for the awesome review! The next few chapters will be about this length but I am trying to post them before Halloween. Thank yo all for reading! Please feel free to review, I love hearing from you all! Thanks! ~CR


	6. Halloween part 2

Sephiroth stared at the television screen as credits rolled across.

"So which was best?" Angeal asked looking happily at his commanding officer.

"Neither was very good." Sephiroth stated flatly.

"Come on! You had to like one better than the other."

Sephiroth's eyes flickered to Genesis and then back to Angeal.

"Maybe the one with the Zolom. It seemed mildly more plausible than zombies."

Angeal silently cheered and Genesis rolled his eyes.

"Fine. My hopes and dreams have been crushed for all eternity. Let's carve pumpkins and call it a night." The red head said sarcastically, getting up from his spot on the arm chair.

"Carve pumpkins?" Sephiroth questioned.

"Yes. You cut a hole, scoop out it's insides, then carve a pattern into the outside skin. They are called Jack o'lanterns." The raven haired cadet explained as he got up from his spot on the couch.

Genesis had selected his pumpkin and was staring at it thoughtfully with a marker in his hand. Angeal walked to his friend, picked a piece of candy out of the dish and popped it into his mouth.

"Here. We got you a pumpkin to carve too." Angeal picked up one of the two pumpkins and offered it to Sephiroth.

The General carefully took the offered pumpkin and stared at it. He looked at the cadets who were taking time to carefully draw out a faces on their pumpkins. He looked back at his orange bit of canvas and sighed.

"What do I carve?"

"What ever you want to carve. In the end we put a candle inside and it lights up your design."

Sephiroth watched Genesis take a piece of candy and pop it into his mouth.

"You know you can have a piece, right?" Angeal said after watching the General's eyes.

"I do not eat candy."

"Why not?"

"It is fattening and it rots your teeth."

Genesis looked up from his pumpkin, "I eat candy all the time. Do you think my teeth are rotten? Am I fat?"

The silver haired man looked over the red head and shook his head. Genesis pushed the candy dish closer to the man.

"Try one. You work out enough that eating an entire bag would only give you a stomach ache."

Sephiroth looked at the brightly wrapped bits of candy and sighed. He reached out and took a gold wrapped candy and opened it. He knew that it was a chocolate, but he had no idea what was in it. The two cadets stared at him as he carefully took a bite.

His eyes opened in shock and he looked at the small candy in his hand. It was a cookie bit and caramel.

"Well?" Genesis asked.

The General pulled his eyes from the candy to look at the cadets.

"What do you think?"

"It is good."

Genesis pointed out other candies to try in the dish while Angeal smiled and started drawing on his pumpkin. The General ate a few more pieces of candy before returning his attention to his pumpkin.

"So do I draw a face to carve?"

"You can carve words, faces, whatever you want."

Sephiroth stared at the pumpkin for a moment before he set a marker to the orange flesh.

MWMWMWMWMWMW

_The silver haired boy looked at the scientist who was preparing his series of mako injections._

_"Professor, what is Halloween like?"_

_The mousy haired woman looked up at the ten year old curiously, "What do you mean, Seph?"_

_"I see it is marked on the calendar for Wednesday this week. I have only ever watched what happens from my window. So I was wondering if you could tell me what Halloween was like."_

_The woman frowned slightly and looked sadly at the boy. "Well, Halloween is a day where children usually dress up in costumes and go door to door collecting candy. Some adults go to parties, usually costume parties. Some people carve pumpkins and make jack o'lanterns. There are many ways to celebrate Halloween. Haven't you ever been trick or treating?"_

_"No. Professor Hojo says it is a terrible holiday that promotes beggars and rotting teeth."_

_"Rotting teeth?" The woman knelt to be eye level with the boy. "Seph, haven't you ever had candy before?"_

_The silver haired youth shook his head. The scientist stood and went to her purse and pulled out a small white and red striped disc in a wrapper. She turned and handed it to the boy._

_"Here, try this."_

_"Thank you, Penny. What is it?"_

_"It's a peppermint disc. They are a type of candy."_

_"I don't think the Professor will be happy if I eat this."_

_Penny knelt once more and looked into the boy's odd cat like eyes._

_"Sephiroth, there will come a time that you will be allowed to do what you want. We are supposed to prepare you for that time and your father does a very poor job of it. He is more concerned you become a Soldier than if you are happy. If I could take you out trick or treating this year I would, but Hojo is the only one that can sign you out. I only wish we could give you more of a childhood than shots, training, and dull food. I am sorry that I can't. Now, if you don't want to eat the candy you don't have to. However, if you do, I will never tell Hojo that you did."_

_The boy looked away from the woman to the disc. Carefully he pulled on either end of the wrapper and it opened. He looked up at the female professor just in time to see the professor he dreaded walk in._

_The dark haired man sneered and looked at the boy. "What do you have?"_

_Sephiroth opened his hand and showed him the small peppermint disc. His eyes narrowed and for a moment his hands trembled._

_"Where did you get that?"_

_"I gave it to him." Penny said, her chin raised high._

_Hojo turned to her, his eyes narrowed and lips thin._

_"How dare you defy my orders? You are nothing but a peon! What if that ruins the tests? What if he is given new mako and he has an allergic reaction that we can't identify?"_

_"Sir he has eaten everything in the contents of that disc. I thought-"_

_"YOU ARE NOT PAID TO THINK! You are nothing! You are a MONKEY that follows my orders!"_

_The woman cowered and the angry professor grabbed her arm. Forcibly, he pulled her out the door and through the labs. When he returned a moment later, she was not with him. Hojo went to the boy and held his hand out for the candy which Sephiroth readily handed over._

_"Sir, where is Professor Crowley?"_

_"She is off your service for now, but don't worry you will no longer need to worry about her."_

_Hojo took Sephiroth's arm and readied his arm for the injections._

_"Will I be at your house this Wednesday sir?"_

_"No. I think seeing the Trick or Treaters upsets you. Instead you will be staying in a room I will have set up for you here at the lab."_

_Sephiroth turned his head away and he stared at a spot on the floor. He fought to keep his face as neutral as possible. He had lost his only friend, candy, and now he couldn't see the trick or treaters. It was going to be a terrible Halloween indeed._

~Another look into Seph's past. Always sad and the next chapter isn't any better. I hope you all enjoyed it, despite the angst. A huge THANK YOU to blackcat686, Carrie88, wierdsquirrelgirl, and XxOngakuxX for the awesome reviews. I am a bit of a review whore (not ashamed to admit it) and I love hearing opinions and ideas for future chapters. Thank you all for reading and I have to ask, what do you think Seph carved on his pumpkin? THANK YOU! ~CR13


	7. Halloween part 3 Finale

The costume shop was nearly empty, all of the best costumes already long gone. That did not stop the two of the three Soldiers in the shop from wandering up and down the aisles. They were looking for something suitable for the third Soldier and he had no real interest in the costumes. It had taken a great deal of convincing to get Sephiroth to come to the shop. They promised him that he got final call on any costume and they promised that he didn't need to go to the large Soldier party one of the local bars was holding.

Genesis had found a large rabbit costume and held it up, "Bunny?"

Angeal frowned at him and motioned for it to be put away.

Genesis pulled out a cape and held it up to the silver haired man, "What about a vampire?"

Sephiroth's eyes hardened and he turned away, "No."

"You would look the part-"

"I said no."

Genesis almost jumped at the harsh tone. Surprising to all involved, he dropped the subject completely.

Sephiroth walked to Angeal who was looking at a Roman Emperor costume.

"What are you dressing as this year?" The silver haired man asked, causing the dark haired man to look over at him.

"A knight. Genesis always goes as characters from Loveless or an Angel."

Sephiroth scoffed slightly and walked to a smaller section with faux Soldier outfits.

"What if I simply dress as a Third Class Soldier, complete with helmet?"

"That's not a costume. That's a few years ago for you. What about if we gave you fake boobs and a dress? Put some bows in your hair..." Genesis trailed off when he saw the less than amused look on the First classes' face.

Angeal held up a crown and gave a questioning look.

"And?"

"Why not a prince? Genesis has a full costume at the barracks that was too big."

Sephiroth gave a questioning look, but didn't really respond.

"What about the Angel costume? I'm not wearing it this year. I mean you don't want to leave the house any ways. Why not just wear something we already have?"

Sephiroth frowned for a moment then his eyes widened, "Let's go back to the apartment, I think I have something."

_MWMWMWMWMWM  
><em>

_Sephiroth stared at the outfit that was set in front of him. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't excited._

_"Professor Grey, what will I be dressed as?"_

_The man looked up from his computer and frowned at the teenager. Grey was not known for his winning attitude or compassion for the boy._

_"You are dressed as a vampire for the President's Halloween Ball. You are running security. I hope that you are paying more attention to what you are doing then what you look like."_

_"Of course, Sir. I am well versed in security. What are vampires again?" Sephiroth looked at the cape, fancy shirt, and pants for a moment._

_Grey walked from his computer and handed Sephiroth the clothes._

_"Vampires are undead beings that suck blood out of humans. Get dressed."_

_"Are all of the other Soldiers dressed as Vampires as well?"_

_Grey rolled his harsh brown eyes and turned back to the computer._

_"No. It's just you. The rest are zombies, knights, or mummys."_

_Sephiroth frowned as he pulled his shirt on over the many wires that Grey had hooked up._

_"Why is it just me?"_

_Grey turned and rubbed his eyes, it was far later than the man really wanted to be there and he was getting tired of the teens questions._

_"Do you want the real reason or the reason they are going to tell you?"_

_Sephiroth looked up from tucking his shirt into his pants. "The real reason."_

_"Because you already look the part."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Haven't you noticed that no other person besides the elderly have silver hair? Haven't you seen the other Soldiers watching you? It isn't because you are great with a sword like they say. It's because you look different from everyone else. Vampires are characterized as having pale complexions, pointed teeth, and odd eyes." Grey strode forward and pulled Sephiroth towards the small mirror he had mounted on the wall._

_"Look at yourself. You fit all of those parameters to a tee."_

_Sephiroth tore his eyes from the mirror, suddenly no longer excited to be going to the party._

_"Now, are you done with questions? We have much to do before your debut as a blood sucking fiend."_

_"Am I really that different looking?"_

_"Yes. If you were out in normal society and we didn't put such a high regard on you, you would be classified as a freak."_

_The last word hit Sephiroth like a brick to the chest. He had heard it before and he never cared for it._

_"I am ready to go."_

_"Good. Now follow me."_

_MWMWMWWM  
><em>

Angeal was readying his fake chain-mail smiling to himself. Genesis stepped out in a costume Angeal could only assume as the Hero from Loveless.

"Sephiroth are you going to show us your costume?" Genesis called after giving Angeal a thumbs up on his costume.

Seconds later the door opened and Sephiroth stepped out in a full male Wutain kimono, complete with his hair wrapped into a traditional knot that was known to be used among warriors in Wutai. Genesis' jaw dropped and Angeal smiled.

"You look bad ass." The red head said, appraising the dark fabric of the kimono. "Where did you get this or do you just happen to have a traditional kimono lying around?"

"I am half Wutain on my... father's side." He simply stated and Angeal and Genesis exchanged glances.

Sephiroth never spoke of his family. Ever. It was rare and they didn't want to spoil it with millions of questions.

"So he gave it to you?"

"No." The general scoffed. "When I went on a trip to Wutai a few years ago I validated my heritage at city hall and they gave it to me as a gift. I have never seen occasion to wear it and rarely travel to Wutai, so why not use something I already have as a costume."

"Your hair is in a traditional knot. Who taught you how to do that?"

"An old friend who was raised in Wutai."

It was odd to hear the General talk so much, so they were trying to encourage it as much as possible.

"Why don't you wear your hair like that more often?" Angeal offered. "It's worn by the warrior's in-"

"I would rather not acknowledge that much of my father's heritage. I validated it to see if he ever listed me as a child."

"Did he?"

Sephiroth didn't answer and they got the feeling he wouldn't. Angeal looked at his watch and sighed.

"Genesis, if we are going to make that party we should head out now."

The red head nodded, "Are you sure you aren't coming?"

"Yes. You two have...fun." The silver haired man said looking at the two.

The two cadets waved good bye and left the General to himself. Sephiroth went to the window and sat, looking down over most of Midgar. He could see some children already starting to trick or treat.

He arranged the pumpkins that he and the others had carved in the windows and smiled to himself.

Angeal had carved out a silly face that made Sephiroth smile whenever he saw it. Genesis had carved out a rather elaborate cat silhouette that made Angeal and Sephiroth feel as though they were amateurs. Finally he set his next to theirs and smiled.

The lone man grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the window and settled in for the night. Any one that looked up and the Shinra building would be careful to notice that on the 49th floor there was one window that had three pumpkins. A weird face, a cat, and two words written in light. They would never see the man that sat next to the pumpkins, but they would certainly see his message.

Happy Halloween.

MWMWMWMWM

~The last chapter of the Halloween segment, I hope you all liked it. A HUGE thanks to XxOngakuxX and wierdsquirrelgirl for the marvelous reviews! I love hearing from you all so if you have any requests for a chapter or an incidence that you would love to see. Maybe a first time? First hair cut? A bit more of his past? Anything goes here. Have a Happy Halloween! ~CR13


	8. Catch

_A young Sephiroth stared out the window at a group of children playing in the yard. They were roughly his age and he was excited to watch them run and kick the ball._

_"Professor. What are those children doing?"_

_"They are outside playing."_

_"Playing? They don't play like I play."_

_"Of course not. You are advanced and they are commoners."_

_The silver haired little boy watched the other children happily. At one point one of them looked in his direction and he ducked suddenly._

_Hojo quirked an eyebrow at the youth. "What is it?"_

_"One of them looked at me."_

_The scientist frowned. "So why did you hide?"_

_Sephiroth shrugged and stayed was. He didn't know if he should look again or go back to running through drills. Something inside him made him want to look again. That something made him long to play with the other children._

_Even if they didn't play in the same manner as him._

_MWMWMWMWMWM  
><em>

Angeal threw the baseball to Genesis who caught it with ease. It was a gorgeous day and the two were going to take full advantage of it. They were given a blissful weekend off after a particularly hard mission. It was a nice to simply relax. The redhead threw the ball back and looked over his shoulder at their First in command who was running through slow martial arts katas under a tree nearby.

"Sephiroth! Why don't you come play catch with us?" Angeal called.

The general turned in place during the kata and shook his head.

"Negative. I need to work on my form."

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM

_It had been nearly a month of watching the children before the young Sephiroth raised enough courage to ask Hojo if he could join the others. He was even more shocked when the Professor agreed._

_He stood before the large wooden doors that led to the day care facility. Any Shinra employee with a child was offered free child care within the building. Hojo opened the door and called over a motherly looking woman._

_"Carli, this is Sephiroth. I spoke to you earlier about allowing him to come in this afternoon."_

_The woman beamed at him and knelt in front of Sephiroth. "Well hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you Sephiroth. You can call me Miss Morgans. Would you like to go play with the other children?"_

_Sephiroth nodded and she took him out towards the back doors. Outside he saw the other children running after a large purple ball under the watchful eye of a second young woman._

_"Liz! This is the Professor's boy. Will you introduce him to the other children?" Ms. Morgans called to the other woman._

_Liz nodded and motioned for Sephiroth to come to her. Hesitantly he ran over to Liz._

_"Hi there! You can just go right in and start playing with the others. They will ask you your name when you get over there. All of the kids are really nice so don't hesitate to start playing okay?"_

_The silver haired youth nodded and cautiously walked over to the group of children roughly his age. When he was close enough for them to notice they stopped playing and stared at him._

_"Hi, I'm Sephiroth." He offered after several long minutes of silence. "Can I play with you guys?"_

_One boy a little bigger than he was stepped forward. "Are you a ghost?"_

_The pale youth was confused for a moment then shook his head. "No. I'm not a ghost."_

_Another, rather rotund child stepped forward. "Then what's wrong with you?"_

_Sephiroth looked at the two for a moment. "Nothing. I am in perfect health."_

_"You talk funny." The first child offered. "And you look weird."_

_The silver haired boy looked down at himself and couldn't figure out what they meant. He was wearing his only pair of jeans and a t-shirt like the rest of them._

_"I don't understand."_

_"You have old man hair and your eyes are all weird."_

_Sephiroth put a hand to his hair. He had put it into a pony tail before he came to keep it out of his face._

_"It's not old man hair. I'm not an old man. I'm only eight!"_

_"Then why is it grey? My grandma's hair is grey. Maybe you're a grandma."_

_"I'm not a grandma! My hair isn't grey anyways. It's silver."_

_"Normal people don't have silver hair. They have white or grey. And people don't have kitty cat eyes."_

_"I am too a person! There's nothing wrong with my eyes."_

_"You aren't a person. You are a cat grandma. And because you are a Grandma you aren't allowed to play with us. Only kids are allowed to play ball."_

_Sephiroth felt his heart sink and he lowered his head. "I am not a cat grandma. I'm only eight."_

_"You look weird. Weird people aren't allowed to play."_

_The bigger boy threw the ball and ran after it. The other children gave chase, leaving Sephiroth to sit on the grass and try to fight the tears that were welling up._

_'Big boys don't cry.'_

_MWMWMWMWMWMWM  
><em>

Genesis caught the ball and looked over at the General who was almost to the end of the kata. Pulling his arm back he lobbed it towards the silver haired man.

Sephiroth heard something hit the tree he was standing under a moment before the small baseball rolled into the side of his boot. He stopped and looked at the ball.

"Throw it back!" Genesis called waving his hands.

The silver haired man knelt and picked up the baseball. Then, with the greatest of ease, he threw the ball back to the red head. Genesis caught it then motioned for him to come join them.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWM

_Sephiroth walked forlornly to the Hojo when he came to pick him up in the evening._

_"So I suppose you will be wanting to go back tomorrow?"_

_Sephiroth shook his head._

_"No professor, I want to stay in the labs and work on drills instead."_

_The professor smiled to himself for a moment before erasing his glee and kneeling beside the boy._

_"Why don't you want to play with the other children? I thought you were excited to go play with them?"_

_"No. They were mean. They told me I was a cat grandma and wouldn't let me play."_

_Hojo put on his very best frown. "I am sorry, child. Other children are very cruel. You don't have to go back if you don't want to. Instead tomorrow we will run though your favorite drills, how does that sound?"_

_Sephiroth nodded and sniffled a little._

_"Good. Now, how about a quick snack before we run through evening drills?"_

_The silver haired child beamed and followed the Professor happily._

_Hojo smiled to himself, happy that he would never need to hear about going to play with other children again. At least not until Shinra forced him to put the boy through their terrible basic education. Four more blissful years of silence about other children and even fewer annoying habits for the boy to learn from them._

_Hojo loved snobby rich kids._

_MWMWMWMWMWMWMWM_

Sephiroth had no idea how he had become involved in the game of catch or why he agreed to play. He was also confused as to why throwing the small projectile was so much fun, but it certainly was. Angeal and Genesis were quick to notice the contagious smile that seemed to spread over the young man's face.

When the sun was finally starting to set the three headed in.

"When was the last time you even played catch Seph?" Genesis asked.

"Never. I have never played catch before."

Angeal frowned and looked at his commanding officer. "Never?"

The silver haired man shook his head, his smile slowly disappearing.

"Well, then we will just have to play more often!" Genesis offered throwing his arms over Sephiroth and Angeal's shoulders from behind.

The three walked down the hall, small smiles on all of their faces. It had been a great day.

~Another slightly angsty chapter! This one goes out to XxOngakuxX who asked for Sephiroth getting picked on. There might be another chapter of angst with the same subject, but we will get to see how Sephiroth learned to deal with it. If anyone has ANY ideas for chapters PLEASE do not hesitate and let me know. Also a HUGE thank you to those that reviewed the last chapter! XxOngakuxX and wierdsquirrelgirl have left some AMAZING reviews. Please never hesitate to drop a review. Signed or unsigned, I love hearing from you all. Maybe next chapter cute and fluffy? More angst? Smexings? Let me know and I will do my best. THANK YOU ALL! ~CR13


	9. Rutting Season

Sephiroth hated spring. He hated the weather and all that seemed to come with the season. His mild allergies would kick up, which lead to box after box of tissues and a persistent headache that would not go away no matter what he did. Reviews happened in the spring and new batches of cadets would crop up. This meant that he would be forced to sit and watch the same kata performed over and over again in varying degrees of terrible while being asked to grade each failed attempt. Then of course there was the biggest reason he hated spring.

Sephiroth hated walking down the halls and rounding the corner to find groups of cadets practically eating each other's faces. He hated the "gooey eyed girls" that would walk up and attempt to talk with him only to lose the point in the conversation, stutter into insanity, and ultimately to end run away in some state of hysteria. He certainly hated entering any common area to find gaggles of men doing incredibly stupid things simply to impress the "gooey eyed girls" in the potential hope of finding a partner for what he affectionately called "Rutting season."

Rutting season confused him. He knew the mechanics of why men wanted women. They wished to find a mate that could match them in some sort of balanced equilibrium and one day produce children that would have some sort of desirable breeding. He had listened to the almost painful lecture from Hojo about all things that came with puberty. He saw no reason why anyone would want to exchange such bodily fluids. As far as he could tell it was a disgusting display of rolling about and he had no desire for anything like that at all.

He could only wish that Genesis had the same reaction. Unfortunately the redheaded cadet was also effected by the season and the man seemed to embrace it happily. His "jokes" were increasing in frequency and the near constant stream of people in and out of the apartment was alarming. If he hadn't been disgusted by the sheer number of "mates" the man brought home he would almost be curious how the man managed to lure so many people back to the apartment.

It seemed that the ever faithful Angeal however was far beyond the other cadets. The raven haired man seemed more normal than ever and if did he bring anyone home Sephiroth never saw nor heard them. It was a pleasant turn from the gooey eyed girls that seemed to wander through the apartment day and night. It seemed that Angeal would play the good guy and would lead the girls out of the apartment if he saw they were lost or he would get them a drink if he saw they were still rather hung over.

The last straw was when one woman wandered into Sephiroth's room and almost into bed with him. She was so drunk she couldn't tell the difference between him and Genesis. It was immediately apparent that this was unacceptable.

Genesis was in bed waiting for his latest conquest to return when there was a rather loud knock on his door. When the door opened before he had a chance to stand he found a rather angry Sephiroth and a terrified and drunk Third class cadet. Sephiroth stumbled for a moment over the fact that Genesis was naked but ultimately his face remained neutral if not angry. As soon as he was aware of who exactly was in the doorway the red head immediately covered himself with a sheet and stood.

"This nonsense of bringing people home is done. I was silent until it began to effect me. When I wake up to find a woman trying to climb in bed with me, it now is an issue. You are no longer permitted to bring people home unless you are given prior consent from me."

"But what-"

"Stay with them, find a hotel, or an alley or where ever it is that might meet your standards, however low they may be. Not here."

It was around this time that Angeal was alerted to the situation. The dark haired man stepped out into the hallway and carefully stepped between the two.

"Sephiroth, please allow me to escort the girl to the door. This was not really her fault."

The silver haired man nodded and released the cadet's arm. "I am sorry that your night has ended less than pleasantly. Please get higher standards and a mate that doesn't change partners more often than he washes his undergarments."

Genesis stared at Sephiroth who was turning to retreat back to his room. Angeal clearly confused as to what situation he should attend to first, the offended woman or the fight that was about to start. Quickly he began to lead the woman towards the door when he heard Genesis' response.

"I am a clean person!"

"That is why it is so alarming you have so many partners."

Genesis fought to find words for a moment.

"At least I can get a woman." The red head snarled angrily.

"I do not have capabilities for a mate."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

The silver haired man completely disregarded Genesis' question and continued into his room.

Angeal ushered the woman out the door and turned just to hear Sephiroth's door shut and Genesis start to think of something to say. The raven haired man stepped forward and clapped his hand over Genesis' mouth before he said anything that might get him turned into a shish-kabob.

"Gen, maybe you should slow down on bringing people home. I will go talk to him."

"Over compensating prick. Just because he is our First in command doesn't mean he needs to treat us like children."

"Your date walked into his bedroom and tried to climb into bed with him. Until that point he hadn't said anything. Give him time to cool off and maybe he will let you resume your debauchery."

Genesis shook his head and went back into his room. Angeal sighed and turned to Sephiroth's door. He gave a knock and waited a few moments for an answer. When nothing came he turned and walked away, content to leaving the angry general to himself.

MwM

Sephiroth stared down at himself, frowning at the erection that had appeared in his pants. He began to deep breathe to see if he could halt the feelings that began to over take him. He had taken such care not to allow himself to get this far and now after all that time he was paying for it. He adjusted himself and walked to the bed, ignoring the calls in from Angeal.

Carefully Sephiroth climbed into bed, avoiding the bulge that pressed against his sleep pants. He lay down and covered his head with a pillow, content on blocking everything else out. Everything including the image of Genesis that seemed to be burned into his very eyelids.

MWMWMWMWMWM

"Why do they keep asking me to do this?"

Professor Grey looked up at the teen and held his hand out for the small cup.

"They are testing your breeding capabilities."

"I don't see why, I don't want children yet."

"That is good to hear."

"Why?"

"You are sterile, Sephiroth. From all tests we have run, we have concluded that you are completely sterile. Apparently the access mako you have in your body makes you sterile."

The fourteen year old swallowed and was lost in thought briefly.

"What's wrong?"

"But there are plenty of Soldiers that are mako enhanced that have children."

The scientist frowned, knowing full well he could not bring up anything about the Jenova project.

"You have been told that breeding happens when people find the optimum mate, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, you have no optimum mate. With your looks and your numerous oddities, there is no female in the world whose body could accept your seed. Thereby the planet has made you sterile."

The teen's eyes flashed for a moment and within seconds the professor was pinned to the wall.

"I grow weary of your constant taunts."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't be as much of a freak."

Sephiroth heard guards coming and he let Grey down. By the time the security staff got to him he was already on his knees with his hands on top of his head.

"Is everything alright here?" The head of security asked.

"I believe he should take a trip to Hojo's I am sure his numerous questions can be better answered by him."

Security nodded and motioned for Sephiroth to stand.

"Enjoy your trip, kitty cat."

MWMWMWMWMWM

~This chapter and the two that follow it goes out to XxOngakuxX, wierdsquirrelgirl and ShadesofImagination for their marvelous reviews and requesting these very chapters. Huge thanks to the previously mentioned reviewers and Carrie88 that reviewed and encourage you all to send more requests. You guys provide AMAZING inspiration and hopefully I can get another chapter up in some semblance of "quickly". I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the following two! ~CR13


	10. Rutting Season part 2

Sephiroth sat at the breakfast table attempting to eat his breakfast and Angeal stood at the counter making himself some toast and coffee.

After a slight clearing of his throat Sephiroth, for once, started conversation with his cadet. "Angeal, may I ask you something?"

"Only if I can ask you something in return."

Sephiroth frowned, it was a common game for Angeal. He had found, however, that Angeal was considerably nicer than when Genesis tried to play this game.

"Fine. What does Genesis mean when he calls me "Over compensating"?"

Angeal turned and leaned against the counter, looking at the general over his coffee.

"He is implying that you are using your sword to make up for the fact that you have a small penis."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow for a moment and ate a spoonful of yogurt.

"Why would I use a sword to make up for a fact like that? Also I think that I should state now that I do not have a small penis."

Angeal smiled slightly. "Some people get big or expensive items to take away from that fact. That is what he means."

"But I do not have a small penis."

Angeal shook his head for a moment. "I believe you. I was just telling you what he means. Now, what do you mean when you say you do not have capabilities for a mate?"

Sephiroth frowned for a moment, usually Angeal asked about sword combinations.

"I am incapable of having a mate."

"That is restating what you said last night and it does not answer my question."

Sephiroth sighed, which caused Angeal to raise an eyebrow.

"I am sterile and that means that there is no chance for a child to come from me. Thereby I have no capabilities for a mate."

"You believe that everyone who has a "mate" have capabilities to breed?"

Sephiroth nodded slightly and took another bite of yogurt.

"How did you find out you are sterile?"

"Does this mean I get to ask another question?"

The dark haired man smiled into his coffee and nodded.

"They ran tests on me when I was fourteen. What does Genesis mean when he asks me if I like "large swords"?"

"He is implying that you are a homosexual and is asking if you like their penis' to be large."

Sephiroth wrinkled his nose. "I have never understood homosexuals."

"What do you mean?"

"They cannot produce a child. If they do not have that capability then why are they attracted to one another?"

Angeal walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Seph, you don't need to be able to have children with someone in order to have a meaningful relationship or engage in sexual relations with someone. Haven't you ever been attracted to someone?"

"I...That is not what I have been told." Angeal raised an eyebrow at the General who had ignored his question completely.

"You have been told wrong. Do you believe that Genesis is a capable match with everyone he brings home?"

"He does have favorable genetics. I don't think I have ever honestly thought about it."

"Sephiroth, have you ever been attracted to someone?"

The man swallowed slightly and looked away. "I suppose."

"But you told me that you have no optimum mate. How can you be attracted to someone if you have no optimum mate?"

"Because I am different and just because I find someone attractive it does not mean that anyone would find me attractive."

"Why do you think the female cadets come up and try to talk to you all the time?"

He shrugged and looked away. "They usually forget what they are doing and run off, this might imply a head injury?"

"They find you attractive and are trying to flirt with you."

"Negative."

"Why?"

"I look too odd for someone to find me attractive."

Angeal stared at the man for a moment. "What makes you think that?"

"I have been told such."

Angeal felt his heart ache for the man that sat across from him.

Almost immediately Sephiroth stood. "Stop looking at me like that."

The raven haired cadet's eyes widened at the man's harsh tone. "Like what?"

"That pitying look on your face. I am not something to be pitied."

"Seph, I do not pity you. I am sorry that someone has said such hurtful things to you. You are different looking, yes, but that is not something negative."

"I have silver hair and cat eyes. My skin is pale like some form of ghoul. Angeal, I hold no illusions as to what I look like."

The raven haired man looked his commanding officer dead in the eyes. "Seph, you areone of the most attractive people I have ever seen. Honestly anyone that would tell you different is jealous that you are better looking then they are."

That made the general stop for a moment.

"But-"

"There is nothing to argue. I know plenty of cadets that find you attractive and I can think of a whole gaggle of people that insist on making you a fan club. If you were to ever open yourself up, I am sure you would find that there are plenty of people that would accept you for how you look."

"You do not find me odd?"

Angeal shook his head. "You are different. As am I and as is Genesis. If everyone was identical this world would become a very boring place."

Sephiroth frowned for a moment seemingly lost in thought.

"Thank you Angeal."

"You are welcome."

"I do not remember whose turn it was to ask questions."

The dark haired man smiled, "You can ask what ever you want, but be wary that I might ask you a question in return."

Sephiroth thought for a moment then leaned forward. "This woman Genesis often mentions, who is she?"

Thank you to all that read! This chapter and "arc" goes out to XxOngakuxX, wierdsquirrelgirl and ShadesofImagination for their marvelous reviews and request for a chapter about A Birds and the Bee's lecture for Seph. I hope it meets approval! Thank you to all that read and review. Please never hesitate to send me an idea! Thank you! ~CR


	11. Rutting Season part 3 Finale

Sephiroth sat at the kitchen table reading the paper and attempting to ignore Genesis waltzing a new recruit to the door. After a rather long process of deal making, the silver haired General had permitted him to bring home ONE person on the weekends. They were strictly restricted to common areas and his room, but for the activities Genesis had planned those were the only places he needed access to. After the red head released the "gooey eyed girl" back into the wild he turned to his superior officer.

"Mornin' sir."

The silver haired man grunted slightly and turned the page.

"Seph, can I ask why you insist on eating yogurt every morning?"

The general looked up from his paper, ignoring the fact that Genesis insisted on using his "nickname."

"I enjoy yogurt and I have found that eating it at a time besides breakfast can be difficult to manage unless I constantly carry a spoon."

"Well, you know they put yogurt in tubes now. They make it so you don't need the spoon, you just need to suck it out of the tube."

Sephiroth saw the small glint in his the man's eyes, but didn't take the bait.

"I would rather eat the yogurt as normal."

"What is your favorite flavor?"

"I enjoy all flavors of yogurt."

"All of them? There isn't a single flavor that you dislike?"

"I do not care for Costan Pineapple unless I have been given large doses of ice Mako. Other than that I like all other flavors."

Genesis smiled at him and Sephiroth folded his paper and leaned forward.

"I know you are trying to make me say something that can be construed as sexual so you can laugh at my lack of knowledge of your innuendos. It won't work this time."

Genesis put a mock hand to his mouth. "I can't believe you would accuse me of such a thing."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Don't play innocent."

Genesis smiled slightly. "So is it the taste or the consistency of the yogurt you like so well and have you considered eating it warm?"

The general sighed and stood. "Stop joking like that."

"Like what?"

"You know full well what I mean."

Angeal stepped out and shook his head at Genesis. "There is no reason to start picking a fight. You both came to an agreement on the women and he has asked nicely for you to stop making jokes like that."

"Oh Angeal stop being a mother hen. You don't have to worry I won't mention his "compensation" today."

Almost immediately, Sephiroth turned and set his paper down on the table. Without warning, he loosened the draw strings of his sleep pants and pushed down the front to expose himself and his most certainly impressive length.

Genesis stared at the man for a moment, unable to speak.

"Now I believe that this "over compensating" business is over. As you can see I am more than adequately sized." The silver haired general pulled up the front of his pants. "I am done hearing about it."

With that he turned and walked to his room, a small satisfied smile on his face.

MWMWMWMWM

Professor Grey sat upright in his bed with a start. He clasped at his hand and found a small barb embedded deep within the fleshy part of his hand.

"What a shame Professor." A soft voice echoed from next to him.

"S-Sephiroth. What are you doing here? What have you done?"

"I have not done anything. I am here to make sure that you die as the Spiny Wutain Sea Urchin has planned."

"What? How did you-"

The teen sat on the bed beside the man. "You and my father made sure that I was immune to almost all natural poisons. The process was exceedingly painful and as I remember the Spiny Wutain Sea Urchin was the worst. Being immune, I can carry one such urchin around and it will never harm me. You on the other hand will die an exceedingly painful death. How terrible it was that you didn't notice the barb on your clothes after you finished working with them for the day."

"But I didn't work with them-"

The silver haired teen smiled. "Ah, but your paperwork says you did. You see, I am tired of your near constant jabs at me and I am now in a position to do something about it."

Professor Grey's eyes softened and he reached out for the teen. The silver haired youth leaned down to the dying man and suddenly he felt the man grasp his arm and run a sharp tipped pen across his fair flesh.

"I might die, but your father will see this and will know what has happened. They will figure out that it was you and you will pay for what you have done."

Sephiroth frowned and pulled his arm from the man's now quivering grasp.

"Goodbye Professor. I hope you enjoy your agonizing death alone."

"See you soon, Kitty-cat. At the very least I can die knowing I had a meaningful existence. Unlike you, I had a beautiful mate."

Sephiroth shut the door on the man, drowning out the cackles that seemed to echo in his head. After wiping the door knob he left, leaving the room to look like he had never been there.

When Hojo woke him the next morning and he was surprised however to find the large red scratch down the boy's arm and a four fingered set of bruises that were lower on his wrist.

"Where did you come by this?"

"Professor Grey did it when I poisoned him last night."

Hojo looked into the boy's eyes and frowned. "You left a trace in his room as well. The pen had your DNA. In light of this, I am denying your request to be place in the Turk department. You are far better suited for Soldier."

Hojo turned and stepped out a small smile forming on his lips.

"Congratulations boy, you are now a cadet second class."

~I hope that the "Birds and the Bees" arc was to your liking it goes out to XxOngakuxX, wierdsquirrelgirl and ShadesofImagination. Thank you so much for reading and a huge thank you to anyone who reviewed! ~CR


	12. Snow Day

Sephiroth walked across the snow on his way to the Shinra building. He was rather late for a staffing meeting but he didn't feel he honestly needed to be there. He was almost to the building when he felt something cold hit his back.

He stopped and looked what had hit him. A small pile of snow still clung to his back. He frowned and looked over to see Angeal and Genesis grinning like fools at him. He had but one more moment before Angeal tossed another, lobbing it over handed and slow, giving Sephiroth plenty of time to move out of the way.

The General stepped aside and watched as the small ball of snow flew past him and hit a nearby tree.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to start a snowball fight." Angeal called, adjusting what appeared to be homemade mittens.

"Why?"

"It sounds fun." Genesis called. "And it's our day off."

Sephiroth frowned. "It is not my day off. I have a meeting."

"You don't like meetings and that one isn't necessary."

"How do you know whether or not it is necessary?"

"We heard you grumbling about it all morning."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to argue when he felt a second cold splat against his coat. Immediately he turned and came face to face with a Wutain dressed in a sharp blue suit.

"I am surprised. A First class not hearing an enemy from behind. Someone has let their guard down." The Wutain said with a smile before he turned and began to walk towards the building.

Sephiroth growled and dropped the notebook he held in his hands. Swiftly he gathered and packed a snowball then lobbed it in the direction of the man.

The Turk dodged it with a smile and walked inside the building shaking his head. Once the Turk was safely inside the General turned to the two cadets, a rather frightening grin plastered all over his face.

"So you want a snow ball fight?"

MWMWMWMWM

_"Sephiroth if you don't have that coat on by the count of three you can forget going outside today. One-"_

_The thin scientist didn't need to count any further as a small bundled figure appeared in the door way._

_"I don't like this coat. It's too heavy."_

_"Boy, we are going outside. If you are not bundled up you will suffer from hypothermia and that could lead to lost fingers and toes. You should never go outside without clothing suitable for the weather."_

_The six year old made a face behind Hojo's back. He hated being lectured about stupid things. The professor wrapped his scarf a little tighter around his neck and grabbed the door handle._

_"Are you ready?"_

_"Of course. I don't see what the big deal is about. I'm just going to play in the lea-"_

_He was cut off mid-sentence as the older man heaved the door open. Outside was a magnificent wonderland. Everything was covered in shiny white. The bushes and trees looked like they were made of glass._

_"Oh wow! What is all of this?"_

_"This is snow. It is a precipitation formed when-"_

_That was as far as the professor got in his speech as the boy who was supposed to be listening barreled out into the backyard. The professor just sighed and pulled his coat a little tighter._

_"Professor, can I eat it? Is it like ice?"_

_"Yes, but I don't recommend-"_

_Yet again the older man felt as though he was talking to a wall as the youngster grabbed a handful of the fluffy white substance and stuck it in his mouth._

_"It's just like ice cubes, but fluffy."_

_The man nodded and wiped off the bench that he usually sat on while he allowed the child to play. He watched as the boy trounced through the snow for a while, marring the once pristine back yard. The boy soon discovered that he could build forts out of the snow and immediately he began to build himself a castle._

_The silver haired boy was midway through a wall when he felt something hit his back. He turned but saw that the professor was still sitting on the bench. However he found it very unusual that the man was paying attention to him instead of filling out needless paperwork._

_"What was that?"_

_The professor gave a sly smile, then grabbed a handful of snow and made a small ball out of it. Winding back the through the ball at the boy who gave a yell and hid behind the wall he had just made._

_Curiously Sephiroth stuck a gloved hand into the snow and attempted to make a ball out of it. However, no matter how he tried, it always fell apart. He looked at the older man who motioned him to come over._

_"Look, just like that wall you were building you need to pack it. Use as much force as you can to push the particles together."_

_Sephiroth picked up some of the fluffy snow on top and the older man shook his head._

_"No, no the wetter snow under...here just come closer for a moment. See how this snow is slightly wet and sticky? This is the snow you should try to- yes just like that."_

_Hojo then was on the receiving end of the very snow ball he had shown the boy to make. Wiping the snow off his coat he looked at the boy who had taken refuge from the professor behind his makeshift barricade._

_The man smiled and for the next hour he and the boy through snowballs at each other until they were both exhausted._

_When Hojo took the child inside and hung up his coat he motioned towards the small kitchen._

_"Professor, can we go out again tomorrow?"_

_"Do not push your luck, but perhaps. If all testing goes well today then perhaps you can go out again."_

_The dark haired man made two cups of tea and set one in front of the boy that had crawled his way onto a stool._

_"Thank you, Professor."_

_The man nodded and the two drank their tea in silence._

MWMWMWM

"This tea is delicious Seph, what did you say it was called again?" Angeal asked as he took another sip of the drink in his hands.

"It's a spice tea from Wutai. It's called Chai."

"It's very good." Genesis said laying back on the couch and looking at the silver haired man.

"It is."

The three drank their respective teas in silence until Genesis cleared his throat.

"So what about your meeting?"

"All is well. I already spoke to Heidegger and he told me not to be concerned."

"Who was that Turk that caught you with that snowball?" Angeal asked.

Briefly Sephiroth's eyes darkened, but just as quickly he turned his attention to his tea. "His name is Tseng. He is an old friend. He and I...we have gone down separate paths. He chose to be a Turk and I...chose to be a Soldier."

"Was he the friend that taught you how to braid your hair?"

Sephiroth nodded and stirred his tea.

"You don't seem to get along very well." Genesis acknowledged.

"We have had our differences."

Angeal nodded and shot Genesis a look to not pester any more on the subject. The red head shrugged and sipped away at his tea.

The general turned his attention to the window and smiled slightly. The snow was falling again. No doubt the tracks they had left were already filling in.

That was the one thing Sephiroth truly loved about snow; there is always more pure white snow ready to replace whatever you sully. Filling in the holes and covering where there are imperfections. He had seen snow cover entire battlefields. Blood wiped away in a seeming instant. Bodies hidden beneath mounds of snow, preserved until they could be properly disposed of. Everything covered leaving a magnificent white expanse of nothingness. Even the most gruesome scene could be covered up.

If only the same principle could apply to everything.

~Sorry this update is so rushed, I will get to all of the comments and thank everyone tomorrow when I post the Christmas chapter. Working two jobs is really kicking my arse! Sorry this took sooo long. Will have another chapter tomorrow and as always THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING PATIENT AND WRITING AMAZING REVIEWS!


	13. Providing Christmas

Sephiroth frowned at the giant Christmas tree that was standing in the mall.

"How do you suppose they got such a large tree inside?" He asked Angeal from behind his frozen yogurt.

"It's most likely fake and they put it up in sections." The dark haired man informed him.

It was two days until Christmas and with luck they had the day off. Dragging out their reluctant roommate, the native Banoran's headed to the mall with promises made to the silver haired man that they would provide him frozen yogurt for his efforts.

Dressed in some of Angeal's civilian clothes with a hat over his hair, Sephiroth ate at his cherry frozen yogurt. He wasn't overly impressed with the crowds, but he was intrigued by some of the seasonal traditions.

"Angeal, who is that man under the tree with the children?"

"Seph, that's Santa."

The general wrinkled his nose and took another bite of yogurt.

"There is no such thing as Santa."

Genesis turned and looked at the man in the overly large winter coat and beanie.

"Well, no he isn't "real" and shouldn't be real to you at this age, but wasn't there a time that did you believe?"

"Never. It was not an option."

Angeal looked suddenly sad. "So you have no photos of you with Santa? Or any presents labelled to you as from Santa?"

"I hate having my picture taken and the first year I received presents was three years ago."

Both Angeal and Genesis stopped.

"What?" Angeal asked incredulously.

"I never received presents for Christmas as a child. Well, aside from my daily mako shot and I was allowed to run fewer laps during training."

"Was a special meal made? Did you have a tree?"

"I eat normal mess hall food and Tree's hinder walking indoors and look ridiculous."

"So you have never done anything special for Christmas?"

"No. I usually sleep in a little, then train, and have lunch and dinner in the mess hall. Lately the president provides me with a company gift card so I can buy new supplies and usually Heidegger gets all First Class SOLDIERs a fruit basket."

"What about your parents, surely they-"

"No. My father has better things to do then indulge a childish fantasy or wants."

Angeal and Genesis stared at one another for a moment before watching Sephiroth watch the elves that carried the children to Santa's lap.

"Those costumes must be terribly uncomfortable." He acknowledged, before returning his attention to his companions. "Aren't you two looking for something?"

"Yes. We are doing a little gift shopping. Do you want us to sign you up to have a photo with Santa?"

Immediately the silver haired man's eyes narrowed at Genesis. He hated having his photo taken and he was even less impressed that the red head would imply he should have his photo taken with something as "foolish" as a fat man dressed in a red suit.

"I am NOT a child."

"I never called you a child. I simply asked if you wanted to have you photo taken with Santa. You have never had the experience so I figured-"

"You figured wrong." The silver haired man returned icily.

Angeal cleared his throat and stepped between them. "Seph, don't you have some things you wanted to look at?"

The general looked to Angeal and nodded slightly. "I only have two things I need."

"Why don't we all keep wandering and find what we need so that we can get out of here? It is really rather crowded."

The three agreed and they headed out to their respective destinations. Angeal watched for a moment as the tall man dressed in his clothes wandered through the crowd, his frozen yogurt steadily being eaten as he watched everyone that passed.

It always distressed Angeal to think that one of his friends was not given the opportunity to experience all that life had to offer.

MWMWMWMWM

It was six in the morning when Sephiroth heard his bedroom door creak open. He was not in the habit of locking it since he had been known on occasion to be a rather heavy sleeper. Instantly aware of two bodies in his room, one hand went to Masamune that was on the floor beside his bed and the other threw his pillow to potentially disarm whatever had entered the room.

He saw the person at the bottom of the bed easily deflect the pillow, so he gave a pull on his sword but found that it was held firmly to the floor by a boot.

"SEPH! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Genesis yelled as he bounded on his superior officers bed, forcing the man to frown.

The man closest to the door turned on the light and immediately Sephiroth noted Angeal had one boot on and it was holding Masamune in it's stand on the floor. Apparently they had seen him defend himself enough to know his routine.

"And? Why are you waking me up?"

"It's Christmas and you have presents to open."

Sephiroth scoffed and lay back down.

"Presents. I receive three presents on Christmas. I no want for a mako shot this early and my usual fruit basket and the president's gift card are nothing to rush."

"There are many more than that." Angeal said solemnly.

Sephiroth opened one eye he had closed. "Surely the number has only increased to five?"

"Why don't you come look?"

The general heaved a sigh and sat up.

"Fine."

Genesis bounded off the bed and made for the door. Angeal followed suit but made the silver haired man wait in the hallway until Genesis got his camera. When the red head was finally ready Angeal stepped aside and allowed Sephiroth to look at their meager living room.

Immediately his jaw dropped to the floor.

"What in Gaia?"

Presents covered every available surface, piled on top of one another, and filling the small room. Angeal and Genesis smiled when they saw the look on the man's face.

"What is all of this?"

Angeal handed the man a letter. "This came for you as well."

Sephiroth opened the letter and inside read;

Dear Sephiroth,

Merry Christmas! I am very sorry that these have taken so long to get to you. It would seem that Shinra Headquarters is very hard to break into, even for a man like me. I hope you have a wonderful day and have fun opening all these gifts. (The elves had fun wrapping them all!)

Merry Christmas!

~Santa

Sephiroth stared at the letters unfamiliar swirly font and knew it was no person's he knew. He looked at the others who were helping themselves to a platter of danish on the counter.

"Who wrote this?"

Genesis and Angeal shrugged. "Didn't they sign it?" Angeal asked with a mouthful of food.

"Yes, but I am more than old enough to know that "Santa" isn't a real person."

Angeal swallowed and stood.

"Seph, sometimes people just don't get what Santa is. Santa doesn't have to be a fat man in a jolly red suit. Sometimes Santa can be a little girl who saved for months to get her parents wedding rings. Maybe Santa is a person who goes down to the stores and pays off layaways for other people who are having a hard time around the holiday. "Santa" is the want to selflessly give and not receive credit, it's not a person. People who don't believe in the season have never seen or heard of the selflessness that happens around Christmas time. Santa may not be one person, but it is a feeling that people get around the holiday."

"You and Genesis did this?"

"All of this on our meager salary? Be realistic sir."

"No one else knew of my... lack of Christmas. I just-"

"Sir?"

"Thank you."

"It wasn't us. Now why don't you sit down, we will grab you a yogurt and you can get opening."

Sephiroth seemed to have a very good time opening packages. His usually stoic expression cracking from time to time. He even surprised them both by having a present for each of them. Angeal loved the new murder, mystery book that he had been trying to save some of his paycheck for and Genesis was especially happy to receive two tickets to see Loveless in Junon.

Angeal would never tell the Sephiroth that he had coerced the Silver Elite, numerous cadets, and even the newly inducted head of city planning to assist in buying him presents. He would never mention that the scarf Sephiroth so lovingly wore during winter was hand knit by his mother, nor that she was the mystery "Santa" writer.

He couldn't possibly tell the overly proud man that he felt sorry for him and greatly enjoyed watching the look of surprise on his face when he received a new stand for Masamune and a gift card to the frozen yogurt stand in the mall, from Angeal and Genesis respectively.

Angeal knew one amazing Christmas could not make up for years of having nothing, but he would do all in his power to make sure that from then on, the man would have the best Christmas he could. That night when they all tucked in to a marvelous dinner they had prepared themselves, there was an overwhelming sense of good spirits. The three could only hope it continued and it would be a good sign of the new year to come.

~MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you all so very much for the marvelous reviews! I have been falling a bit behind so here are the reviewers that have been waiting so very patiently for me to respond to! Hellysion, Stephiroth, VioletIsInPain, Doomsword, wierdsquirrelgirl, XxOngakuxX, Carrie88, and ShadesofImagination. Thank you all again for the marvelous reviews! Hopefully I will have another chapter to post within the next couple of days, if not tonight! Thank you all again for reading! I love hearing from you all (even if it takes forever for me to respond) and if any of you have ideas please feel free to let me know. Also there was a concern brought to my attention about my inclusion of female cadets into the ranks of SOLDIER. If anyone is concerned with such things, please let me know and I will find other floozies for Genesis to hook up with! Thank you again! ~CR13


	14. An Amusing Routine

There were few things that could amuse Genesis Rhapsodos for an extended period of time. There was Loveless, which he read over and over again. Harassing Angeal, a simple pleasure that, when you have been friends your entire life, was very simple to achieve. Recently he had found a new way to amuse himself which almost made the other two obsolete, and that was watching Sephiroth act like a normal human.

The great general always seemed to be nothing more than a methodical killing machine, one that followed his own personal schedule to the minute, possibly even the second. Genesis, however, loved to mix up the schedule that the man loved so dearly with simple things, like hiding Sephiroth's phone or changing the alarm time when the silver haired man was in the locker room - never by much, but just enough to leave the man flustered and trying to regain those five minutes he was missing out of the schedule.

There was also the matter of the man's "time of the month" as so many had put it. His usually calm demeanor, and even his way of dealing with people, was seemingly thrown aside and the Sephiroth was prone to angry bursts in a level that would rival any woman's. This was always when Genesis decided to "stir the pot", as he liked to put it. He loved seeing the reserved man unhinged, irate even and actually acting like the human being he was. It was, quite honestly, his favorite thing to do, even if it was something incredibly simple that set the man off.

"Genesis, where is the yogurt?"

"What yogurt?" Genesis looked up from his book.

"My yogurt. The yogurt I have every day for breakfast."

"I haven't touched it. You must be out."

"I bought fresh yogurt from the Mideelian market yesterday."

It was an obsession with the General, to eat yogurt EVERY DAY for breakfast: yogurt and a glass of orange juice. In the many months they had lived together the red head had never, ever seen the man go without the yogurt he so dearly loved.

Angeal stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair. "The only yogurt that was in there was rotten. I threw it out yesterday because it was stinking up the fridge."

It was astounding how pungent the Mideelian yogurt was. However, the addition of a little charcoal dust from an almost forgotten art kit and an implication to Angeal that it was rotten? Well, at that point, the only _honorable_ thing for Angeal to do was get rid of it, and Genesis was happily rid of the disgusting smelling yogurt.

"Mideel makes their yogurt with a berry that is rather strong smelling. It was going to be eaten today and out of the fridge. It was in no way rotten."

Genesis watched the general peer back into the refrigerator and noted how the man was chewing on his bottom lip, again. It was a habit that Genesis had seen him perform many times. The oral fixation was also not simply localized to his lip. The general could be easily nicknamed "Sephiroth the Obliterator of Pens" or "Sephiroth the Destroyer of Nails."

It would seem that whenever something was bothering him, he would immediately begin to chew on whatever he could. Erasers stood no chance, more than one pen had dyed the man's lips briefly blue, and his nails were victim more than any other object. It was odd though, Genesis had never seen the silver haired man chew on his fingers. He only noticed it when the man's hands were still for an extended period of time.

What could a man as powerful as that have to worry about?

"I am sorry, Seph. I did not know it wasn't rotten. I will buy you some more after I get out of work today. I know that there are eggs in there or perhaps some cereal?"

Angeal was always forth coming with apologies and offers to fix the situation. He had even stopped drying his hair to try to soothe the situation. The silver haired man did not move from his spot, however, nor did he look to acknowledge Angeal in any way.

"I do not want eggs. I do not eat anything for breakfast besides yogurt."

The chewing on his lip had increased to the point where Genesis could have sworn he had broken the skin. Sephiroth shut the fridge door and turned to Angeal.

"You don't have any yogurt. We do have plenty of other-"

That answer was apparently not good enough for the General as he grabbed his coat and strode towards the door, skipping steps five thru nine of his morning routine.

"Where are you going?" Angeal asked, frowning at Sephiroth's back.

"To work."

"You haven't eaten anything."

"I do not have anything to eat."

"There are plenty of things you could eat for breakfast."

This was swiftly becoming a mother- child argument. Angeal and, his occasionally over bearing mother hen ways, were forcing the miffed general to the point that Genesis was waiting for him to simply throw himself on the floor in the worst temper tantrum Shinra had seen since Rufus was told he wasn't allowed a pet.

This was _not_ part of the plan.

Genesis stood from his spot and walked to the fridge, opening the door to dig through to the back. He pulled out one of his energy shakes, a banana, and then grabbed some ice from the freezer.

"But none of them are what I want." Sephiroth persisted.

"You are being silly. There are plenty of options, if you give me a moment I could make pancakes or something."

Genesis winced and took note that their commanding officer had gone very still. There were few things one should never refer to him as. Silly or childish ranked very high on that list.

"If you hadn't thrown away my breakfast there would be no problems."

Angeal's frown turned into a scowl. "It looked like it was rotten and I didn't want anyone to get sick."

Genesis swiftly put the ingredients gathered into the blender and turned it on.

"Maybe if you had ASKED-"

"IT LOOKED MOLDY!"

When the blender stopped the red head poured the contents into a bowl, grabbed the nearest spoon, and stepped into the middle of the yelling.

"Here," he said, thrusting the dish at Sephiroth.

"I don't want-"

Before the man could finish Genesis scooped up a bit of the mixture and popped the spoon into his mouth.

"There is a recipe for how to make a "yogurt like treat" on the back of the carton. I hope it will suffice. Your workout is quite physically demanding and it would be a poor choice to go without anything to help fuel it. After work, if you would like, the three of us can go pick out breakfasts that would be appealing to all of us."

The General looked less than impressed at the spoon that was shoved into his mouth, but nodded and took the bowl to the table. Happy with the response, Genesis turned to the dark haired man who was still looking rather angry.

"Calm yourself. All is well mother hen."

Angeal bristled, but said nothing, turning and making his way back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

That taken care of, Genesis walked to the table and sat. "May I ask you something?"

Sephiroth chewed slightly on the plastic spoon that Genesis had grabbed out of convenience, but nodded.

"Why do you only have yogurt for breakfast? I know you say that morning is the most convenient time for you to eat it, but no one gets that attached to a breakfast food unless there is reason. "

The silver haired man finished his pseudo- yogurt and pushed the bowl away. "I need something to coat my stomach or else I am prone to terrible stomach aches. It is something that the mako in my system does to me."

"Milk won't have the same effect?"

"Negative. I cannot drink milk straight. It makes me ill."

Genesis nodded. "We will pick up some more yogurt after work today. Are you aware your lip is bleeding?"

Sephiroth licked the blood away and frowned.

"I am rather late. I must be going was there-"

Genesis shook his head. "There is nothing else."

The general stood and went back to finish off his routine, only coming up short by five minutes of his usual time.

"Genesis."

The red head looked up from the spot he resumed on the couch.

"If you ever touch the settings on my phone again I WILL remove your hands."

"Yes, sir."

The silver haired man nodded and left the apartment.

Genesis leaned back, smiling to himself. He really did enjoy seeing the man act his age. It was easily forgotten that he was sixteen. It wasn't always easy to tell by the way he acted or dressed. One could not tell by the way he demanded authority or barked orders at cadets double his age. It was, however, easy to tell when he had his guards down, easy to see he was human, that his emotions were just as present as anyone else.

Even if all Genesis would be able to get out of him at that point was anger, maybe, one day, the man would trust his new "friends" and allow them to see all of his emotions.

All Genesis could do was hope.

~Thank you all for taking the time to read. A HUGE thank you to those that reviewed; VioletIsInPain, XxOngakuxX,and ShadesofImagination. I also must give a secondary shout out to ShadesofImagination who has been ever so nice and offered to be my beta! My usual beta KissofJudas has had limited time as of late so to help me out Shades has offered to assist! Thank you! As always please feel free to review positive or negative. I don't bite promise (well maybe only a little). Thanks for reading! Also still taking suggestions so feel free to toss them out there! ~CR13


	15. The Chocobo Blues

Sephiroth enjoyed travel. He could drive most Shinra vehicles with ease and even enjoyed occasional air travel. However, there was one thing he hated about the Shinra "rules" that almost made him hate all potential travel entirely. He hated chocobos. Everything about them was dirty and disgusting. A long ride would leave you sore for days and it seemed he was always given the most miserable bird they had.

Apparently, building mako reactors where ever they felt fit was fine, but threaten to drive something other than a chocobo across the swamp lands and it was a major deal. He could argue until he was blue in the face about the hypocritical nature of the Shinra company, but that would never get him very far. Luckily, he very rarely needed to use the birds as a means of travel and was very content with the mechanical marvels the company allowed him to use.

When he found himself standing with three birds and his cadets in preparation to cross the swamp he knew the trip would be utterly terrible. Genesis had an overly friendly common chocobo that seemed to enjoy cooing at the red head. Angeal had a sturdy looking older chocobo that looked weather beaten but pleasant.

He, on the other hand, had a "newly broken" chocobo that fidgeted and refused to listen to anyone that tried to lead it.

" 'Ere ya be General. 'M sure ya can break 'er." The stable boy drawled, handing Sephiroth the reins.

Carefully and quickly as he could with the constantly moving chocobo, he strapped the saddle and his pack to the bird who squawked and snapped its beak at him. He resisted the urge to cuff the bird and kept working, pulling the straps as tight as they could go.

"Seph, do you need some help?" Angeal asked from astride his mount.

"No. I simply do not care for these birds and they have never cared for me."

It seemed that the bird was also fond of games. It kept taking steps forward or back every time the General moved to put his foot in the stirrups.

"Are you certain that the saddle is tight enough? It looks like the bird is puffing out so that it remains loose."

"Genesis, I am perfectly capable of saddling and riding a chocobo. I have regrettably done it numerous times."

Wrapping the reins around his hands like he had been taught, he pulled himself on top of the bird, but the triumph of being on the bird was short lived.

Sephiroth fell from the bird with all the grace of a drunk attempting to climb stairs. He hit the ground with a rather loud thump and a curse, his feet caught in the stirrups and hands tangled in the reins.

Immediately, Angeal dismounted and moved to the man's side, but quickly backed up when he saw the angry look on the man's face.

"I hate these damn birds. Why can't the army devise a vehicle to cross the swamp instead of using THESE. LEVIATHAN. FORSAKEN. BIRDS!"

The bird squawked indignantly as Sephiroth wrenched one of his legs free and untangled his hands. He stood and the look on his face was clearly murderous.

"I would rather wander the swamp on foot than ride one of these beasts."

"And what would you do if a Zolom caught you?" Genesis asked the unhinged general from atop his mount.

"I would kill it. Just like any other monster that crossed my path."

Genesis shook his head with a chuckle, which only caused the man's eyes to narrow.

"What in Gaia are you laughing at?" he snarled.

"I have never seen your hair anything but pristine before."

Immediately the General's eyes went wide and he put a hand to his hair. Hay was stuck throughout the silver locks and there was dirt, or at least he hoped it was dirt, matting his hair in one section. He cursed softly in Wutaian and sent the bird in front of him a glare that was enough to warp steel.

He grabbed the saddle and righted it. He with harsh hands he grasped the strap, set a foot on the bird's side, and gave a pull, tightening it until Genesis was certain the bird might be cut in two.

"Now we shall see if it decides to hold its breath anymore."

Sensing the General's malicious intent, the bird stood very still as he mounted. The saddle remained in place and the man smiled slightly. He reached behind his head and quickly brushed some of the mud and hay from his hair.

"Are you ready to depart? We have to get through the swamps before dark."

The two cadets snapped to attention and within moments they were heading towards the swamps at a brutal pace.

"Seph, we should slow up. The birds might not make it through the swamp if we run them too hard before we get there." Angeal said, slowing his bird.

"Do as you will. I believe I have a lesson to teach to this bird."

Genesis slowed with his friend and watched the other man drive the bird towards the swamp. The two followed at a distance, making sure to keep up, but not enough to exhaust the birds. It wasn't long until the man's brutal pace drove his bird out of sight.

Once they reached the swamp's edge, they stopped briefly to see if they could catch sight of the general. Instead they found his mount wandering aimlessly caught on a tree and no sight of Sephiroth.

"Where is he?" Angeal asked, suddenly worried about the stubborn man.

"I don't see- wait, what is that?"

Angeal immediately knew what Genesis was talking about. There was something rising out of the swamp.

"What is it?" Genesis asked, his eyes wide, hand going to his sword.

Angeal shook his head and reached for the sword strapped to his back. "I have no clue, but it must be something-"

Angeal didn't say anything as the monster made its way through the mire towards them.

"Do you think it got Seph?" Genesis asked.

It was then that the monster came into full view and Angeal valiantly tried to refrain from laughing.

The monster was Sephiroth.

"What happened?" Angeal asked, biting back a smile as he watched the man yank Masamune from the mud.

"That BIRD threw me," the once silver haired general snarled, throwing his sword angrily onto dry land.

"So why is it stuck on a tree?" Genesis asked.

"Oh it isn't stuck. It's staked out for a Zolom to eat or maybe for it to die a slow painful death of starvation. Whatever happens, I only wish I could stick around to watch that damn thing die."

Genesis and Angeal stared at the man, unnerved at how utterly frightening he sounded. The two watched as he wrenched himself free of the mud and onto the almost dry land. He shook his hands, to get some of the mud off of himself, then wiped at his face to clear the muck away.

"Seph, we can't leave the bird," Angeal stated, looking over at the helpless animal.

"The fuck we can't!" He snapped.

Angeal sighed and rode his chocobo out to the pathetically staked bird and untied the reins. He returned to the man and climbed off his mount and offered the reins to Sephiroth.

"Here, my bird behaves rather well. I will ride this bird and you can ride mine."

Sephiroth snarled slightly and quickly tied Masamune to the bird and climbed aboard. The older chocobo looked offended that such a disgusting creature would be permitted to ride him, but didn't so much as budge.

Once they were all resettled on their chocobos, they set out across the swamp. Sephiroth's new bird behaved remarkably well and much to his displeasure his old bird rode like a dream for Angeal. While they crossed the swamp he tried to get as much of the muck out of his hair as he could, wringing it out while his bird calmly followed Genesis' steed as he allowed the cadets to take the lead.

By the time they had crossed, he was shivering from being wet and he was miserable, watching his old bird coo and behave like an angel for Angeal. When they stepped into the caverns, he immediately climbed down and peeled his coat off. Ominous thunder echoed outside and immediately Sephiroth was ready to kill the bird again.

"Sir, what are the plans? Shall we continue in the rain or shall we remain here for the night?"

Sephiroth took one look outside and knew immediately they were staying in for the night.

"We will be remaining in the caves. There is no chance we will make it to the rendezvous point in any sort of timely manner. While I radio ahead, please set up camp and take care of those birds."

The two cadets nodded and Angeal walked back out to the swamp, mumbling something about looking for firewood.

He wrenched off his gloves and reached for his still clean pack. After fumbling for a moment to find the radio he pulled it out triumphantly and then tried his hardest to get the dials to work. No matter how he fought with the device, he could not force his numb fingers to do what he wanted them to do.

"Seph, do you want help?" Genesis asked as he tied all of the birds up to a rock and fed them some greens.

"Help with what?"

"Your fingers must be freezing. Here, I'll set the dial and you can just do the calling."

With very little effort Genesis took the radio from Sephiroth and set the dials to the coordinates. He looked to the muddy man in front of him and nodded, pushing the call button.

Sephiroth wanted to snatch the radio from the man's hands and knock him soundly on the floor, but his hands and arms refused to cooperate. After he relayed the coordinates of their location and told command that they would be there in the morning, he sat back and watched Genesis repack the radio. No sooner had Genesis stood from his crouched position, then thunder clapped loudly and Angeal came barreling in with an arm load of wood. The moment he entered the cave the sky opened up and it began to pour down cold, harsh rain.

"Perfect," Sephiroth muttered.

"Sir, aren't you cold?" Angeal asked hesitantly.

"No. It feels like a warm tropical day in here, Cadet. I don't see why you would ever imagine that I could possibly be cold."

Sephiroth stood and began to attempt to undo his abdominal armor. His fingers, however, were no more compliant than they had been a few moments prior and he was repeatedly failing to undo the clasps. It was after a few minutes of fighting with the straps that the felt a warm hand reach out and still his shaking, frozen fingers.

"Sir, allow me," Angeal said softly, undoing the straps he fought with and gently removing the armor.

Sephiroth was becoming more and more frustrated with everything. Inwardly, he was cursing the bird for throwing him in the swamp. He was angry with Angeal for saving the bloody thing and for managing to tame it. He was furious with his body for rebelling against him and refusing to do what he asked if it. He was exhausted from this damned mission already and they hadn't even arrived at the mission's location yet.

Angeal could see in the man's face how tired he was. Genesis had started the fire, so with all the caution he could muster, he led the fuming general to the fire and sat him down on the cave floor as close as he could without any accidental burns.

"Here, just stay here and I will see if I have anything in my pack that you could wear."

"I have clothes in my pack," Sephiroth said indignantly.

He moved to stand, but felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up into Genesis' face who smiled down at him.

"Sir, with all due respect, leathers will not help to warm you up. Angeal usually keeps an extra set of fatigues in his pack for anyone that could use them. Please, just let us try to help; you have had a rough day."

Sephiroth scowled and turned away, but Genesis had other plans. The cadet went to the edge of the cave and gathered the pans he had set there to collect rain water. He placed one pan of water on the wire grid he had set up over the fire and set the other next to the fire.

"Are you planning on cooking something?"

"Not at all. We have rations for that."

"Then what are you-"

He was cut off as Genesis stood and walked to his pack. The red head rummaged for a moment before making a happy noise in the back of his throat and returned to the General, sitting down with a bar of soap and a strip of cloth.

"This cave doesn't have anything convenient to help you get clean, so I think this is the best option. Tell me if the water is too hot."

Genesis carefully pulled the pan off the fire and dipped the cloth into the water. He pulled it out and shook away the excess water. He rubbed a small bar of soap over the cloth and gently wiped the cloth across Sephiroth's cheek. The mud washed away quickly, showing the pristine skin underneath.

The general bit back the urge to rip the cloth away from the man. He was an adult; he didn't need to be bathed like a child. However, there was something so profoundly gentle about the way the man was treating him, he couldn't bring himself to pull away.

Angeal returned with a bundle of clothes in his arms, a blanket, and three ration packs.

"Here, these clothes should fit and you will probably want the blanket. I picked the best flavors I could of the rations, but the choices are fairly limited."

Genesis stopped wiping away the mud for a moment, to rinse the cloth off in the water he set next to the fire. He dipped it back into the hot water, re-soaped and kept wiping away the mud from Sephiroth's face.

Sephiroth looked outside at the almost torrential downpour. "Do you think I should simply stand in the rain to wash the majority of mud off my body? That would get it done the fastest."

"That water is so cold, wouldn't you rather just be patient and let me-"

Genesis stood no chance as the general stood and swiftly removed his boots and pants. Angeal and Genesis both blushed slightly when they noticed the man wore nothing underneath his pants.

"I'm just outside the cave entrance."

He moved to step outside, but felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Seph, you can't go out there naked. What if someone sees?"

The General looked at Angeal. "If there is anyone out in this weather in that hell of a swamp, they have more than earned the right to see me naked."

With nothing more said, he stepped into the rain and began to scrub as much of the mud off of himself as he could. Once he felt that most of the mud was off, which was conveniently right around the same time his fingers lost all feeling, he walked back into the cave. He told his body that there was no need to shiver and that these were his cadets and he shouldn't show weakness in front of them. However, his body decided that there was a very serious need to shiver, which immediately drew the attention of "mother hen."

Angeal wasted no time in converting the blanket he had to a towel and swiftly began to dry the silver haired man off, clucking softly at the goose bumps that seemed consistently present on Sephiroth's body.

Angeal handed him the pants once he felt the general was dry enough and swiftly helped the man into them. It was then Genesis' turn and he motioned for Sephiroth to sit and resumed gently cleaning. It was surprising how such a small cloth could make him feel so very warm.

"If you would like, I can attempt to wash your hair. I don't have any shampoo or detangler, but I can certainly try to get it better looking than it is now."

Sephiroth looked sadly at his once lustrous hair. Now its color reminded him of Palmer's coffee stained teeth and, despite his recent cleaning, now looking at his hair, he immediately felt dirty again.

"That would be fine."

He felt Genesis' hands on the back of his head and tensed.

"I could never hurt such beautiful hair," Genesis said softly, and he sectioned the man's hair to make it easier to manage. "Please, there is no need to be tense."

He didn't turn to watch the man work, but he felt the warmth of the water on his scalp and the gentle scrape of Genesis' manicured nails. He was surprised to find it rather pleasant. As Genesis worked, Sephiroth slowly felt his exhaustion take over him and his eyes slowly closed. He didn't know why the man's ministrations felt so nice, but he was very aware it was putting him to sleep.

"If you want, you can lay down for a while. I am sure you are very tired from the day. I can work on your hair if you want to set up your bedroll and lay down."

The General didn't even have time to consider other possible alternatives as Angeal brought over the bedroll and carefully laid it out.

"I will rest for a while, but only for a little while. I have a very important matter to attend to before we fall asleep for the night."

The two cadets nodded solemnly and Sephiroth found himself laying down and closing his eyes to the gently feel of having his hair played with. No sooner had his eyes closed was he sleeping.

Genesis smiled to himself and looked up at Angeal. "He really needs to get some sleep. He seemed rather grouchy today. Perhaps we should let him sleep longer than intended?"

Angeal shrugged and sat down to watch Genesis gently wring dirty water out of the sleeping man's hair.

"I am not planning on waking him up. That's as insane as wrapping a steak around my neck and walking out into that swamp unarmed."

Genesis smiled and looked towards the birds that lay together in the corner of the cave.

"Are we taking turns keeping the fire going?"

Angeal nodded and he carefully opened his rations package. Genesis finished his task and carried the water to the caves edge and dumped it. When he returned, Angeal had already made his ration pack for him. The two ate in silence, knowing full well when the general woke up he would scold them for not waking him, but secretly not caring.

Sometimes, on the worst of days, all it took was a little sleep and a little kindness for a person to feel better.

~Thank you all for taking the time to read! I must send out a HUGE thank you to ShadesofImagination for beta-ing this chapter. Thank you so much to Hellysion, XxOngakuxX, and VioletIsInPain for reviewing and as always please feel free to send along reviews and ideas. I love to hear from you guys! The next chapter might be a bit spicy, so please check out the authors notes at the top. Thanks again! ~CR13


	16. Of Hair and Realizations

It had taken Genesis and Angeal quite a while to get comfortable with showering in the locker room next to other men. At first, they both used private showers and talked over the low wall with one another. Eventually, the two progressed out to the main shower area so they could talk with Sephiroth as well. They still kept their distance and were quick about it, but they were in the main shower none the less. Finally, Angeal made the bold move and moved to shower next to Sephiroth and once he did, Genesis followed.

Sephiroth always found it amusing to watch cadets slowly work their way out of the comfort the private showers gave. He had never been one to care who saw him when he showered. So many lab techs had seen him naked that he saw no point in hiding himself. As long as all the cadets in the locker room where male, who honestly cared if they saw each other. They all had the same parts.

On the other hand, he was bothered when people did not follow "locker room etiquette". He hated when some of the cadets chose to ogle him. He did his very best to not look at his fellow cadets and usually showered with his eyes closed unless he was asked a question directly. However, there were some that chose to openly eye-molest everyone in the locker room. There was also the matter of the questions asked in the locker room.

If a cadet came up and asked him about a drill that had been run or a fighting tactic, Sephiroth was glad to oblige him with an answer and would do his best to illustrate how to do any moves they had questions about once he had a towel tied firmly around his hips. Then, there were questions that he felt should not be asked by a fellow cadet while he was in the shower.

Over the years of showering among his common man, Sephiroth had been asked many, many questions. "If you are outside all the time, why are you so pale," was the most common. There were many that asked about the practicality of his hair and how long it took to wash. Then there were those he considered rude. They would ask about his scars, which as far as he was concerned was no one else's business. He had a few rather bold questions about his genitalia that usually ended poorly for everyone involved.

He hated those that broke "Locker room etiquette" and he noticed that once Genesis was comfortably showering near him, he tended to break the rules; asking questions that made him uncomfortable or offering him help if he needed was having trouble washing his back. As far as Sephiroth was concerned, that was the biggest rule breach of all. You did not touch someone who was unclothed in the locker room: ever.

Even after Sephiroth had reminded him of the rules of the locker room, he noticed that Genesis didn't seem to care and would usually continue doing whatever it was he was doing, even if that meant stopping Sephiroth mid-sentence. It bothered the General to no end.

He could also tell when Genesis was staring at him. Even with his eyes closed, he could almost feel the gaze boring into his skin like a thorn. It was after one particularly rough training session that he felt that thorn on his shoulder blades as he dug through his duffel to find his detangler. When he found it was empty, he turned to find Genesis who seemed to be staring openly at him.

"Is something the matter, Cadet?" He asked harshly, trying to get the man to stop staring at him.

"Do you shave?" Genesis asked.

"Shave?"

"Yeah, like your body?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, it was another of many common questions. "No. With all the mako in my system my body does not grow excess body or facial hair."

"So why aren't you bald?" Genesis asked as he cleared water out of his ear.

Sephiroth shrugged and started towel drying his hair once again. "No one in the science department can explain that."

"That's pretty cool though. It makes you look like you man-scape."

"Man-scape?"

"Yeah, it's when a guy shaves or trims his body and facial hair. It's a play on "land scape." It's probably a good thing you don't grow facial hair though. If it grew in to match the hair on your head you would look like an old man."

Sephiroth's brows furrowed for a moment and he stopped drying his hair to run a hand over his cheeks.

"I suppose it would look strange."

He heard a soft chuckle and turned to look at Angeal who was shaving in front of the mirror.

"It's also good because you could end up being all hairy like Angeal. Then you would have to take the time to shave so that you could look sexy when you take your shirt off and not be confused for a were-bandersnatch." Genesis was giving Sephiroth a small smile.

Angeal frowned in the mirror and turned around. "I am not that hairy."

"Angeal, I bet it looks like you are smuggling Heidegger's beard in your pants."

Sephiroth grimaced and resumed towel drying his hair. "That is a rather disgustingly graphic image that I didn't need to think about."

Genesis turned to look at Sephiroth. "Would it be better if I said it looked like he was smuggling a small woodland creature?"

"That's still odd to think about. Besides, I don't think woodland creatures would go anywhere near him."

"What if it was a squirrel and it was looking for nuts?"

Angeal shook his head and Sephiroth made a face. "Squirrels do not eat human testicles. That is even worse to think about than the Heidegger's beard comment."

"I think you are missing the point that he is calling me unnecessarily hairy," Angeal said with an almost-laugh coloring his voice.

Sephiroth looked over at Angeal. His chest, shoulders and upper back were dusted with hair. He had a prominent patch on his upper chest that thinned out in a triangle like pattern as it progressed towards his navel. He could assume there was more hair hidden behind the towel, but he certainly wasn't going to ask to see."I don't think you are exceedingly hairy. I have seen numerous men that are hairier than you are."

"Well, thank you. See Genesis, there are men hairier than I am out there."

Genesis shook his head. "Well, with luck, when you start getting Mako treatments you will stop being so hairy, Angeal."

Angeal frowned and turned back to shaving, ignoring his redheaded companion. Genesis smiled and watched Sephiroth dig out his comb from his duffel. The General pushed his long locks over his shoulder and was pulled a thick comb through the strands, frowning as the plastic caught on tangles and snarls.

Genesis was horrified and couldn't allow him to do such things to his gorgeous hair.

"Where is your detangler?" He asked in a tone that seemed to startle the silver haired General.

"I ran out."

"Your hair is a mess. Didn't you condition? "

The aquamarine eyes flickered up to the red head and then to Angeal as though hoping that the dark haired man would offer an out to the conversation. When there was a resounding silence, heavily weighed on by the fact that Genesis was waiting on an answer, Sephiroth decided he should speak.

"I don't."

"You don't what?"

"Have conditioner."

Genesis froze for a moment, stopping in his movements of quickly combing through his own hair.

"You don't condition? How does your hair stay so smooth then? Or detangle at all? What do you use for detangler?"

Sephiroth frowned and looked once more to Angeal, but instead found the man looking at him amusedly through the mirror. The silver haired man sighed, reaching into his duffle and pulled out the empty bottle that he tossed to Genesis.

For a moment it looked as though the red head would laugh at him. He looked at the General, as though awaiting a punch line.

"You have got to be kidding me. This is bubble gum scented child's zero ouch detangler."

Sephiroth bristled his eyes narrowing, "Is there an issue?"

"Well, they do have an adult section to hair care."

Sephiroth stood and immediately it seemed that the room's tension rose to unprecedented levels. Even with snarled hair and naught but a towel, he was still one of the most dangerous looking people either cadet could imagine. It was at this point Angeal chose to step in.

"Genesis, leave him alone."

"Seriously, you probably use an entire bottle for one wash. They make thicker leave in creams that would probably work better for you and would cost you less," the red head continued, ignoring the brunette.

"I am not a child. I can handle my own hair care, thank you," Sephiroth hissed.

"I am not saying you can't. I am just saying that there is a better product than what you are using. Would you like to use my detangler? It will work better than attempting to untangle your hair without anything."

Sephiroth didn't move, his jaw clenching and unclenching in the tell-tale motions of the General chewing on his inner cheek. "Fine."

Genesis reached into his bag and pulled out a sleek and fairly expensive looking bottle.

"A little goes a long way," was the last thing he said before he went back to busying himself with getting dressed.

Sephiroth's eyes followed the red head for a moment before they returned to the bottle. Carefully, he sprayed the very ends of his hair and began to pull the comb through. By the time Angeal and Genesis were ready to return to the barracks Sephiroth was half way through the knots. His eyes focused on the large mass of hair as he worked, seemingly lost in thought.

"Would you like some help?"

Sephiroth's eyes immediately darted towards Genesis. "I think I can handle it."

"I was not questioning if you could handle it. I was asking if you would like assistance in combing out your hair. You will get done faster if I help."

The silver haired man frowned for a moment then nodded as he looked away. Genesis gave a smile and sat next to him on the bench, pulling out his comb and carefully sectioning the hair into two parts.

Angeal gave a wave and motioned that he was leaving, ignoring his commanding officer's pleading look to stay. The two combed in silence for a long while, Genesis reveling in the beauty of the man's pristine hair and Sephiroth trying very hard not to drown in discomfort.

"Your hair is really thick."

Sephiroth nodded, trying his best to encourage the silence.

"I am sorry if I came across as picking on you earlier. I was just surprised that you didn't have some large quantity of conditioner and detangler."

"It is fine. I haven't honestly looked for anything different. The products I use have always worked for me so I thought that what I had would suffice."

"If you would like, I can take you to a professional salon and we can ask a hairdresser what they would recommend for your type of hair. My usual stylist is a very nice woman and I am sure she would be very willing to help out."

Sephiroth was getting very tired as Genesis helped him comb out his hair. There was something about how gentle the man handled his hair that made his eyelids droop. "I don't really care for people touching me," he muttered.

"You've accepted my help twice with getting your hair straightened out. I hardly think that a stylist will do worse than I could do."

"Yes, but you and Angeal are different."

"Different?

Sephiroth nodded but seemed to be lost in thought again. Genesis leaned forward and brushed a stray lock of silver hair from Sephiroth's face, causing the man to start slightly.

"You do that often." Genesis sighed as he went back to combing.

"Do what often?"

"Get lost in your thoughts. I know I am not your preferred confidant, but I am always willing to talk about things if something is bothering you."

Sephiroth's eyes flickered to Genesis for a moment then back to his hair. "Nothing is bothering me. I am simply thinking."

"Must be deep thoughts if you are thinking that hard."

Sephiroth grunted slightly and suddenly Genesis removed his hands from Sephiroth's hair.

"All done. Are you planning on braiding it for bed?"  
>"Not when it is wet. It will become wavy if I braid it now."<p>

Genesis smiled at the thought of Sephiroth with wavy hair. "Shall we catch up with Angeal? I suppose he is making a late dinner by now."

Sephiroth nodded and stood for a moment before remembering he was still only in his towel. "I'll get dressed and meet you up stairs."

"Nonsense, I'll wait for you outside the locker room door."

The redhead repacked his comb and picked up his duffel. Sephiroth watched him leave before he dropped his towel and quickly changed into his clothes. For a brief moment, he wondered why it didn't bother him that Genesis had broken the biggest cardinal rule in the locker room, but for some reason he didn't seem to mind all that much. He was also confused as to why he had allowed Genesis to touch him at all, considering how uncomfortable the man made him at times.

He pulled on his shoes and realized that he simply had just gotten used to it all, that he had gotten used to having people living with him. He had become used to the small fights with Genesis and the long, deep conversations with Angeal. He had gotten so used to it all that he honestly couldn't see himself going back to being alone, without his two new roommates.

If it meant breaking the rules every once in a while, he could deal with it if it meant he could get a little closer to the humanity he had always dreamed of being a part of.

~OMG This took forever! However, this is the first of atleast two more chapters that will be posted this weekend. Things have been a bit hectic my way, but I do have some chapters for you all. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I will be posting a huge list of thank yous on the next chapter. HUGE thanks the ShadesOfImagination for Betaing this! I love to hear from you all, so please leave reviews even if they are anonymous. Thanks for reading!


	17. Difficulties Sleeping

**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE IS SMUT WITHIN THIS CHAPTER OF THE BOY ON BOY VARIETY. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED!**

Genesis came home from his usual work out with a grin on his face. Angeal was out for the night and he was going to try to convince Sephiroth to help him cook dinner. When he found the lights off throughout the apartment he was dismayed to think he would be spending the evening alone. He heard a soft sigh and turned his attention to the living room.

There stretched out on the couch was Sephiroth under one of Angeal's afghans. Genesis smiled and walked quietly over to the living area to get a better look at the sleeping general.

Much like the cat his eyes resembled, Sephiroth was laying in a golden sunbeam face utterly content. A book was sitting on the floor next to the couch, one long finger was holding his place as he slept. The blanket was pushed slightly to the side revealing that he was shirtless and clad in only a pair of sweatpants.

Smiling to himself the red head was about to leave when he caught sight of something that seemed to glitter against Sephiroth's pale skin. Genesis stepped closer and looked just under the man's exposed navel and found a small line of hair there. If the sun hadn't hit it just right he would never have noticed it, but in the setting sun it seemed to glitter like ice.

Without thinking Genesis reached forward and brushed a hand over the hair. Immediately Sephiroth's eyes went wide and he grabbed the hand of the person who was touching him.

"What in Ifrit's fiery hells do you think you are doing?" The startled silver haired man snarled, pushing Genesis onto the floor with a shove.

"I thought you said you had no body hair?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said that you have no body hair, but you clearly have some."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he ran a hand over his stomach.

"I have some, but it is very little. Is there a reason you decided to touch me?"

"It's so pale I wasn't sure it was even there."

"So you decided to touch me?"

"I suppose I just wanted to see if my eyes were playing tricks."

Sephiroth was angry for a moment then stood.

"Where are you going?" Genesis asked.

"To my room to finish my nap."

"Over me simply touching your stomach? I am sorry, okay? For someone who is the strongest man in Gaia, you certainly seem to be a coward."

"What is that supposed to mean?" The General snarled, whirling on Genesis.

"You are running away."

"I am going to my room so I am not manhandled."

"Is that really what you want though?"

"What are you saying?" Sephiroth asked.

Suddenly Genesis was pressed along the length of Sephiroth's body. "You didn't think I noticed the way you looked at me that night you brought the girl to my room?"

Sephiroth was stunned and quickly he stepped back. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come off it, Seph. You want me to show you what I was going to do to that girl."

Sephiroth was at a loss for words for a moment before he felt a hand run gently over the thin trail of hair on his stomach. The red head leaned against Sephiroth again, his lips aching close to the General's ear.

"If I follow this trail of hair will I find more hair like this?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth nodded wordlessly, concentrating on the feel of the red head's lips against his jaw and trying to convince himself to pull away.

"I think I'll just have to check that out for myself."

With a subtle motion, Genesis slid his hand down the front of Sephiroth's pants and rubbed the thin patch of hair that was there.

"Genesis this isn't appropriate we shouldn't be-"

He was cut off abruptly as Genesis kissed him on the lips while carefully massaging his steadily hardening length.

"Gen-"

"For once, why not just let yourself be human?"

Sephiroth gasped as the red head stroked him, bringing him to full attention. The redhead ran a thumb gently over his cap and Sephiroth's hips thrust forward on his own. Genesis smiled against his collar bone and pressed a kiss there.

Carefully, the red head pulled him out of his sweat pants and he began to caress the soft skin with just the tips of his fingers.

"Do you want this?"

Sephiroth went still and felt his cheeks heat with passion.

"What?"

"Do you want me to keep going?"

Sephiroth looked down at the red head and saw the prominent bulge in his workout pants. He wanted to touch it, but instead he gave a slight moan as Genesis dragged his attention back to the question with a gentle squeeze.

"Is this what you want?"

Sephiroth gasped as Genesis rubbed his cap again, causing heat to pool in his stomach. He blushed crimson but nodded as Genesis set teeth once more to his skin.

"Please."

The red head smiled and looked up at him as he slowly sunk to his knees.

Sephiroth sat up with a start at the sound of his alarm. He reached over and turned it off with a shaking hand. He looked down at his sheets and frowned at the wet spot that was situated over his now sated groin.

_"What in the hell is getting into me?"_ He thought angrily as he scrubbed the sleep from his eyes.

This was the third time this week and he was getting rather sick of washing his sheets every other day. If it kept up he was certainly going to have to go to the doctor to see what he should do.

_"You could just sleep with him."_

Immediately he began to mentally berate himself as he pulled himself from bed. That was not an option.

_"But why not? He has been with other men before. He tends to watch you rather closely while you are both in the shower."_

Sephiroth shook his head to himself again and peeled his now cold, sticky pants from around his hips. Genesis was his subordinate, that was clearly not allowed in the Shinra code of conduct.

_"Who will possibly find out? Angeal? Do you honestly think he would report you?"_

Of course Angeal would not report him. If anything he was sure that he would commend him for not being so up tight.

_"Then again this is assuming Genesis would even accept you. You are after all a freak. You can't even grow a beard like a normal human."_

Sephiroth froze for a moment after he gathered all of his laundry to take to the washing machine. That was really what he feared. What if he put himself out there only to have his friend push him away.

Friend.

It was something he hadn't taken into account. Their relationship would change if they slept together. Would Genesis throw him away like he did to the gooey eyed girls after he was with them? He had finally found comfortable ground with the red head. Would that all be thrown to the wind after he either slept with the man or after he was rejected? Would Genesis laugh in his face for even asking?

_"Then why not ask Angeal?"_

Angeal had been the subject of a dream a few nights ago. He trusted the man without a shadow of a doubt, but Sephiroth was fairly certain that Angeal was the straightest man he had ever met. There was no such thing as a one night stand with Angeal. HE was too much of a gentleman.

_"Who would want to be in a relationship with a heartless killer like you? He's too much of a good man for you to sully."_

Sephiroth felt an all too familiar sting behind his eyes and a tightening in his throat. He pushed the feeling away, Grateful the others were still in bed he pulled on another set of pajama bottoms and then carried his laundry to the washer.

_"You have no optimum mate. Suck it up and deal with it."_

That's what he would have to do, just as he had done so many times before. He cleared his throat and stepped back into the hallway to hear soft noises in the kitchen. He turned around and saw the expectant face of Genesis.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" He asked in a whisper.

Sephiroth shook his head and started to head back to his room.

"Hey, I couldn't sleep last night so I made some coffee if you want some." The red head offered with a wide smile.

"No, thank you." He said, turning his back on his desires and the offered cup of coffee. "Is Angeal back from his poker game?"

"He got in late last night."

Sephiroth nodded, "Why don't you go with him and his friends to poker night?"

"I am terrible at poker, besides I have better things to do."

"Ah, yes. Bringing home whatever you can trap. If people were able to be hunted you would be a professional at catch and release. I am going to bed again, see you in a few hours."

He never saw the sad look on the red head's face when he went in his room and shut the door. The red head never saw hurt look on his face when he lay on his bed and spent the next two hours mentally tearing himself to shreds.

_"Sometimes it's easier to push what you want away. If you turn yourself down, you won't be hurt by someone you could possibly love."_

~Seph, why are you so angst ridden? I hope you all liked the chapter! If anything was unclear or you wish to tell me who you think Seph should try to hook up with please let me know! Thank you to ShadesofImagination for reading this over! Huge thanks to VioletIsInPain and Hellysion for the reviews on the last chapter and a huge thanks to the Anonymous reviewers, Catslock, Artrapture, underhandlilies, XxOngakuxX and YaoiMonster for reviewing previous chapters! Hopefully I got everyone that reviewed! I love to hear from you all and the next chapter is currently done. So late tonight/ early tomorrow you can expect to see ANOTHER CHAPTER (also potentially containing smut)! Thanks again for reading! ~CR


	18. Maybe

**This takes place a week after the last chapter. Nothing super graphic, but there is some male/male lovings and sex references. Nothing graphic, but be warned.**

Sephiroth set his head in his hands. He couldn't take it any more. He had been listening to the sounds of rough sex for the past two hours. When he first heard the giggle from Genesis upon his arrival home, he knew it was an exceedingly good idea to stay in his room.

When the bed springs began to move in what he now knew as the sounds of sex, he hastily put on his headphones and blared what few songs he had on his computer. Then the moans and groans became louder than the music and he could not safely turn up the volume without causing a headache. It was around that time that Genesis' headboard began to bang into the wall and it became very obvious that the man he brought home was very loud during sex.

Adjusting himself so that it couldn't be construed that his body possibly enjoyed that he could hear the sex, he stood and went to Genesis' door. He knocked loudly and instantly the noises stopped.

There was a brief hushed argument then the door opened slightly and Genesis slid into the hallway, concealing the man he brought home with him in the room.

"What can I do for you, Seph?" Genesis asked.

The General frowned at the redhead that stood before him. He was drenched in sweat and reeked of sex.

"Normally I would ask Angeal to do this, but as he is at his poker game I am forced to come ask. You and your friend are being too loud. Please move your headboard a little further from the wall and ask whoever is in there to tone down the noise. I am trying to get some paperwork done before I go to sleep."

Genesis gave a lopsided grin. "Sure thing Seph. You know if you want, you seem like you might-"

The look on Sephiroth's face caused Genesis to stop mid-sentence. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to offer gay sex to the man even though he could clearly see the bulge that was present in the man's pants. Probably not a good idea when the man looked like he was ready to murder him.

"I expect that you will keep the noise down." Sephiroth said icily before turning and walking to his room.

Genesis saluted once the man's door was shut then hastily returned to the man in his room.

"I told you that you were being too loud. We just did this last week, I didn't think you would be this desperate. If you had told me we could have arranged something sooner."

Genesis climbed back on the bed and looked down at the man who had turned away from the door and remained that way until he was sure the General was in his room.

"Do you expect him to burst in here? If he knows I am "entertaining" someone he won't come in. I am sure tomorrow he will ask you to give me a lecture though."

Angeal smiled at Genesis, rolling to expose his tanned, toned, nakedness. "He doesn't know it's me in here does he?"

"No. He thinks it's some slutty male cadet that is too loud for his own good." Genesis carefully pressed a kiss to Angeal's hip, "He might not be so far off."

Angeal gave a gentle groan and watched Genesis draw lazy circles on his skin with a finger tip.

"Did you honestly try to invite him in here? What if he had said yes?"

"I would have opened the door and let him in, but you and I both know that would never happen. Would you have cared if he did find out though?"

Angeal frowned slightly. "You know I didn't really want him finding out about our arrangement. The questions he would ask me would be unbearably awkward."

"Or is it that you don't want him to know that you will sully your honor to be with the whore of the house?" Genesis said bitterly, setting his head on Angeal's hip and looking away. "You've never wanted anyone knowing about us."

"Gen, you know that's not-"

"Don't. I don't want to hear it." The red head sat up slightly and moved away from the larger man.

Angeal sat up and pulled Genesis to him. "You know why I don't-"

"I said I don't want to hear it. It ruins the mood." Genesis snapped, allowing the man to pull him to his chest and wrap him up in a large bear hug.

"Then what do you want to discuss?" Angeal whispered, gently pressing a kiss to his neck.

"I don't really want to discuss anything." The red head sniffed, turning his head so that Angeal could kiss him better.

Angeal smiled slightly and set his teeth to the red head's neck. "I am sure we can find something to do other than talk."

When Angeal left Genesis' room that night he made his way swiftly to the door. If Sephiroth thought he was out at his friend's apartment for poker it would be good to go to the barracks, shower then come back and pretend he had been out. It was less suspicious that way as it was common for Angeal to shower and get ready for bed in the barracks so that those who might be sleeping weren't interrupted. As he stood in the shower washing off the smell of sex and sweat, he thought back on what Genesis had said.

The two had been doing things like this for years. Since they lived in Banora and it was one of the biggest reasons Genesis and his father no longer got along. His father walking in on them had been one of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to Angeal.

There was no mistaking what they had been doing. Not when they were both naked and Genesis had his leg wrapped around Angeal, rather loudly moaning his name. Genesis took it in stride and had told his father that he should learn to knock, but Angeal told him that they needed to find a new spot for such activities.

Angeal's mother was never told and if she did know, she never mentioned it. He highly doubted she did know after the lecture when he was twelve and she found a dirty magazine, that was also Genesis', in his room. The lecture on objectifying women was certainly compelling and stuck with him. He never used women in the manner Genesis did. Instead he used Genesis, who never seemed to mind unless it was brought up about Angeal's unwillingness to let others know what they had been doing together behind closed doors.

It wasn't that Angeal felt ashamed of Genesis, it was more that he was ashamed he had to do something as degrading as sleep with someone he wasn't dating. Why didn't the two simply date? That was another fight altogether. SOLDIER had no rules on their warriors dating, but it would certainly make trying to advance classes very hard on them. It was known that Heidegger frowned heavily on same sex male coupling and with the two trying to advance, dating was NOT an option.

Angeal turned off the shower and stepped out. He remembered the hurt look on Genesis' face when he turned down the offer to date him. He remembered the bruises that appeared on Genesis the day after his father caught them. He remembered Genesis' smile when he asked him if them wanted to arrange something in regards to sex. It made Angeal feel dishonorable. It was as though he was leading the man on.

If he thought Sephiroth might understand the situation with minimal explanation he might be more than willing to tell their commanding officer that on Saturdays they went on "guy dates". He would tell Sephiroth he didn't actually play poker with other cadets while Genesis "brought someone home from a bar". He wanted to tell Sephiroth that the "someone" was him and that Genesis wasn't a total whore all the time. He wanted to defend his friend's honor but at the same time he knew Genesis had formed the reputation for himself with his numerous female conquests prior to their arrangement.

Angeal pulled on his sleep clothes and made his way up to the apartment. He opened the door and noticed that Sephiroth was sitting in the kitchen waiting with some paperwork.

He looked up at Angeal with a frown. "Would you tell Genesis to bring home quieter sexual partners? The one that just left kept me up half the night."

Angeal smiled inwardly. "Will do."

"How was your time with the other cadets? Did you win at the poker night?"

The cadet smiled at Sephiroth who had clearly never played poker in his entire life. "Yes, I won a few times."

Sephiroth nodded, but Angeal knew he could have told him that, "the horses were rowdy tonight and the ball wouldn't roll properly" and he would have received the same response.

"Fine, fine. Sleep well, Angeal."

Angeal would have been fine if Sephiroth had said yes, that would have meant less explaining on his part and with Sephiroth being in the president's good graces, maybe Heidegger wouldn't screw the two second classes over. However, he doubted that the obviously sexually repressed man would ever even consider such a thing. He didn't even know if Sephiroth knew what gender he preferred, if he preferred any at all.

That was a conversation he didn't know if he was ready to have with the man. Half the time he couldn't figure out how to describe his own gender preferences. He was sure that it would be awkward and Angeal was not very good at talking about such things.

Angeal shut the door to his room and lay down on the bed. He listened to Sephiroth move around the kitchen for a moment or two then walk to his room. He never mentioned to the man that he could usually hear him if the house was quiet moving around his room. It made him frown when he remembered how loud he had been earlier and if he could hear Sephiroth's movements he was sure that the silver haired man would have been able to hear everything that had happened.

He heard Sephiroth settle on his bed and within moments, he heard nothing more. The General never moved in his sleep, so it was good that there was no more movement. It meant that perhaps the General had only waited up so that he could complain to Angeal who might be sympathetic to his cause.

Maybe one day he would have the courage to tell Sephiroth about the arrangement he and Genesis had and apologize for the many times he was overly loud. Maybe one day he would actually take the time to discuss things of a relationship matter with Sephiroth. Maybe one day he would actually have the courage to be in a relationship with Genesis and not care what Heidegger would do.

Maybe one day.

~Thank you so much for reading! Fanfiction was giving me problems yesterday and I had to repost chapter 17 four times. Hopefully none of you were spammed in the process. If it happens again with this chapter I am very sorry and will try to get it fixed as soon as possible.

We are soon coming into the land of relationships, what they are defined as, and more potential smut. It would help me out immensely if you all could tell me who you are rooting for. Will it be Genesis and Seph, Genesis and Angeal, Angeal and Seph, all three together, OR would you rather the angst happen without any pairings at all?

Huge Thank you to VioletIsInPain, underhandlilies, and Stephiroth for the reviews and thanks to anyone else who posted reviews to chapter 16. Reviews help me keep the story moving and let me know which direction to take (is totally a review whore).

Thanks again for reading! ~CR


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